Awaken
by Fleeting Vapor
Summary: When he sleeps, they awaken. Appearances by M-21, Yuna, Frankenstein, Shinwoo, Rai, Regis, Tao, Takeo, Seira, Ikhan, Suyi, and Pedro. Ongoing. Noblesse. Recommended.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

**Awaken (Part 1: Yuna)**

His eyes were closed. Dark lashes brushed against pale cheeks, and he looked so peaceful. Sunlight beamed through the window as if Heaven had cast open its gates solely to illuminate a halo around the edge of his hair. Beauty radiated from him in a soft glow, and at that moment, he could have been an angel.

Yuna watched him from the corner of her eye as Pedro's voice droned from the front of the classroom. She should be listening, but his eyes were closed. She had never seen Rai sleep. Nothing was so breathtaking.

The sound of turning pages broke through her thoughts, and she quickly flipped the page of her textbook as well. Pedro fell silent as his gaze scanned over the students, finally stopping on Shinwoo. Shinwoo's head was down, hidden behind his open textbook, but he hadn't turned the page with his classmates. A smile spread across Pedro's face. He had been waiting for this opportunity.

This was her chance. Yuna reached across the aisle as Pedro crept up on Shinwoo. She lightly tapped her fingertips against Rai's arm and straightened in her chair before Pedro noticed her behavior. The teacher lifted the book from Shinwoo's desk and slammed it down next to his head. Shinwoo awoke with a shriek, drawing laughter from everyone in the classroom

Rai didn't stir. Even resting, his face was angled ever so slightly toward the window. If he didn't wake up now, Pedro would come to his desk next. She leaned over farther, grasping her whole hand around his arm, and gave him a gentle shake. His weight shifted to the side and pressed heavily against her palm. Yuna quickly withdrew her hand. His arm slid out from under him, pitching his body forward to strike the desktop before rolling limply to the floor. His eyes were still closed.

"Rai!" The scream ripped through her chest, and she was kneeling next to him, unaware that she had left her seat. Her hand hesitantly touched his shoulder, but it was trembling too much to apply force. He didn't wake up.

"Shinwoo, get Principal Lee!" Pedro shouted as he barreled toward Yuna, shoving his way through the crowd of students that had already encircled her "Don't move him. What happened?"

"H-he.." Yuna gulped. Her throat felt so tight she couldn't speak, and her voice shuttered as she forced the words to form. "I thought he was asleep. I didn't mean… He just collapsed."

"Alright," he spoke softly to sound calm, but his eyes were already jumping from student to student as he created an action plan. "It looks like we may need an ambulance. Ikhan?"

"I got it." Ikhan whipped out his phone and dialed the number.

Pedro nodded and skipped to the next student. "Seira, get the nurse."

She only stared back at him with wide eyes; the blood drained from her face. Regis touched her arm softly. His expression matched hers, and the gesture was to comfort himself as much as it was to console her. They both moved at once, approaching Rai instead of running for the nurse.

"I'll do it." Suyi's whisper sounded drawn and thin, but her actions were steadfast. She disappeared through the door before anyone could acknowledge her offer.

"He's in here!" Shinwoo yelled from the hallway although the principal had outrun him and was already bursting through the crowd of students.

"Make room!" Pedro demanded, and the students backed away.

Frankenstein dropped to his knees next to Yuna, his arm grazing hers. She looked up at him, expecting him to take command, to smile and to say that everything was alright, but he simply stared, drinking in the image of his master on the ground. The other students were watching him, too. Their expressions looked panicked. If he didn't say something soon, there would be chaos.

"Principal Lee," Yuna took a deep breath, using her own voice to fill the silence. "Rai just collapsed. I thought he was asleep, and I didn't want him to get in trouble. I tried to wake him up, but he just collapsed. I didn't mean for this… I'm so sorry-"

"He won't like that his clothes are dirty."

"Principal Lee?" She whispered under her breath. His tone was so hushed that she wasn't certain that she had heard him correctly.

"Seira, tell the others."

"Yes." She answered and immediately left to fulfill the command.

Frankenstein slid one arm under Rai's back, cradling him so that his head rested against his shoulder before hooking the other arm under his knees. "Regis, come with me."

"Of course."

"Is he.." Yuna pushed off the floor, ready to follow them, but one look from Frankenstein stopped her mid-sentence.

"Yuna, thank you for your concern." And with that, he left her behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

**Awaken (Part 2: M-21)**

"I can't believe he made us work the whole day!" M-21 growled under his breath as he stiffly crossed his arms over his chest. Every muscle was tense. Every movement felt restricted, but even so, he found himself constantly fidgeting. He unfolded his arms and shifted uncomfortably only to fold them again. "He pulls Regis out of school, and he tells us to get back to work! Now he won't even let us in the room!"

"The boss has a reason for what he did."

M-21 shot a glare at Tao.

"Hey, we're worried, too." Tao heaved a sigh. His shoulders rolled forward as he rested his elbows on his knees. His head hung low, and he clasped his hands together nervously. "I hate this. The waiting."

"It's like this after every fight." Takeo circled around the back of the couch, avoiding Rai's empty chair, to sit next to Tao. "It's worse this time. We didn't see it coming. We didn't expect it, not like this."

"I don't think even the boss did." Tao threw his head back and sank into the cushions behind him. His hair slid away from his face, but he didn't try to fix it. "Do you think he was hiding his condition from all of us?"

"Even Frankenstein?" M-21 rose from his seat, too anxious to remain still. He crossed the distance to the balcony and back. The living room surrounded him like a cage. Even his heart felt restless.

"I wish we'd hear some news."

"I'm going to see him." M-21 announced, dashing down the hallway and into the elevator before his comrades could stop him. Their voices rang though the closed doors, but it was too late. He was already descending. They wouldn't follow, not this time.

Frankenstein had warned them severely enough, using a harshness that was uncharacteristic for him. He had told them to keep their distance from the lab, and he had shut himself inside with his master and Regis. Only Regis. Seira waited on the balcony, secluding herself from the others, and they had left her to her thoughts.

The doors slid open, and he stepped into the room against orders. M-21 cautiously passed medical equipment as he looked around. Frankenstein was not in sight, but a quiet heartbeat beeped from a monitor near the CAT scan machine. An IV bag dangled from a metal hook and dripped a clear solution through a thin tube that was held in place with white adhesive tape. Something was wrong. The body was too small to be Rai.

M-21 approached the gurney and pulled away the blanket. His heart stopped. "Regis?"

The kid didn't respond, but his eyes fluttered behind closed eyelids. His chest rose and fell with the painful sound of his breathing. His lips parted with a sudden gasp as he desperately choked in air. Then, it left as abruptly as it came, and he settled again into a fitful sleep.

"I told you to stay out of here."

M-21 spun around.

Frankenstein swabbed his forearm with alcohol and slid a needle into his own vein before strapping it down with the same tape that he had used on the boy. "Regis will be fine."

"What happened?"

"He used a massive amount of energy." His voice rasped with exhaustion, and dark circles shadowed his eyes. Frankenstein finished securing the IV and leaned into the back of his chair. Strands of hair matted together in wet clumps, and a layer of sweat shimmered from his skin. It trickled down his face, curved under his jaw, and flowed down his neck until his clothes stuck to his body from the moisture. "We both did."

"Are you okay?" M-21 pulled the blanket over Regis once again and folded it down at his shoulders.

"I'm just tired." Frankenstein pulled his hair back to help his body cool down. "I'll be fine once I can get some rest, but," he motioned toward the IV in his arm, "replenishing what I lost to dehydration is the best I can do for now."

"I could stay here with Regis if you want to get some sleep. I'll wake you if something happens."

He shook his head. "Regis would be fine even if I didn't watch him."

"Then," M-21 lowered his voice into a soft tone, "how is your master?"

"Asleep." Frankenstein panted, grabbing the metal stand to his IV drip and rolling it across the floor as he walked. "He fell asleep."

"That's good, isn't it? He's recovering."

"Yes, but… no." Frankenstein stopped outside a door on the far side of the lab. "This isn't as if he _chose_ to sleep. My master's body has weakened to the point that he _fell_ asleep. His body physically shut down against his will. Even if sleep is a means to recover, there is still the underlying cause that he required this in the first place. For nobles, sleep is so closely related to one's health that one's death is considered an eternal sleep. It happens when one surpasses the limits that he or she is able to recover, hence never waking up." He filtered a low flow of power through the air. The edges of the door lit up, and it opened on its own. "Don't go inside."

Large white tiles bordered the floor, ceiling, and walls, and they thrummed with an alluring swirl of power as if blossoming with life. Rai, still in his mussed school uniform, laid perfectly motionless on a hastily thrown together bed. Nothing else filled the room. No medical equipment stood at his bedside. No IV pierced his skin. He simply slept in a faint hazy light.

"Is he _glowing_?" M-21 instinctively stepped forward, bumping into Frankenstein's outstretched hand. The doors swung closed again.

"You can't go into him."

"What was that?"

"His powers are trying to form a protective barrier around him to conserve his strength." Frankenstein returned to his place next to Regis and collapsed into his chair. "It will wear off as soon as the shrine stabilizes."

"Wait, what shrine? Are we going back to Lukedonia?"

"No, Regis and I created a shrine here."

M-21 stood by the young noble's bedside. The kid's breathing had calmed a little, but the haggardness of it still felt unsettling. "Is that what you did to get this tired?"

"It takes an exponential amount of energy to create even just a small shrine. If I hadn't already had a room that could contain power prepared, we would not have been able to do it. There is a reason why shrines only appear on the night of the full moon. Forcing one open like this takes a lot of strength. Even now, it is incomplete." The single note of a fatigued laugh faintly caught on his breath. The sound was disheartened rather than amused. "We will have to repeat what we did here tonight many, many times."

"Is there anything I can do? We could help."

"You three simply don't have the ability to assist me, and I have delegated Seira with another task. I want at least one person of a clan leader's level to watch over my children while my master and I are unable to do so."

"If it's that we're weak-" M-21 let the sentence fall silent at Frankenstein's glare, and he didn't need to be told to understand that it had nothing to do with strength. "You really are worried, aren't you?"

* * *

A/N: Hello, Vi~

I'm not going to say a whole lot about this story. It doesn't even have a description right now. I may change that once the plot starts to be revealed, but for now, I'll leave you all a little clueless and misguided. What you can know is that this story is written based on a prompt from Nelapsi. It has a dual narration sort of style. Last chapter was Yuna. This chapter, M-21. So even though you don't know what you're getting into just yet, enjoy. I hope you all like it.

-Vapor


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

**Awaken (Part 3: Yuna)**

"Do you think this is okay?" Suyi whispered under her breath. "I don't think they expected us today."

"We always come here." Shinwoo's answer was just as uncomfortable, and he nervously rolled his cup between his palms. "Do you think the hyungs were acting weird?"

Ikhan nodded, causing his glasses to slip down the bridge of his nose. He shoved them back into place. "They're probably anxious."

"It feels strange that Rai's not here." Suyi tugged at the hem of her skirt, looking anywhere except at the empty seat on the opposite side of the coffee table. "Maybe we should go."

"As soon as we find out about Rai." Shinwoo set his cup down. He couldn't bring himself to drink it. "We'll go after that."

Yuna closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips against her forehead as she listened to them. A steady throb burned through her head and spiked in sharp pangs with every movement. Shinwoo's hand slid over her forearm and tightened in a gentle squeeze.

"Yuna?"

She snapped to attention. A new wave of pain shot through her head. "I'm sorry. I…"

"Are you okay?"

Yuna forced a reluctant smile. "I just have a headache."

"Here, drink this." Shinwoo let go of her arm and passed his untouched cup over to her. "I'm going to talk to Seira. Let me know if the hyungs come back."

"You'd see them first."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He murmured and joined Seira on the balcony.

"Yuna?" Suyi moved closer to her friend and curled her arm around her shoulder. "Are you really okay? Rai fainting like that was scary for all of us, but it happened right next to you. You saw him fall, right?"

"I'm fine." She wrapped her arms around her stomach before Suyi noticed her hands tremble. "I have had a headache ever since… That's all."

"It's probably stress induced." Ikhan, logical as always, informed them without a second thought. "After-"

"They're back!" Shinwoo rushed in from the balcony, leaving Seira behind, and flung the door open just as Tao and Takeo arrived.

"We bought snacks!" Tao laughed as he dropped the bag on the coffee table, but the sound was forced and hollow.

Takeo pulled a can of juice out of his bag and began to hand each flavor to its recipient. "Sorry, we made you wait."

"No, it's okay." Shinwoo shrugged, flopping into his seat. "I wouldn't expect Seira to cook for us today. I mean, not with Rai…" Silence coated the room as his voice trailed off, and Shinwoo cleared his throat. "How is he?"

Tao crouched next to the coffee table and searched through the items from his bag until he came across a box of pocky. He would have to give it to Regis later. "He's… I… I don't know."

"The kids are here?"

Yuna looked up at the sound of his voice. M-21 stood at the end of the hallway with an angry expression. She blinked to clear the image from her mind and glanced up at him again. His eyes looked soft this time. Concerned. "Ajussi?"

"You should probably head home." M-21 walked past them and out to the balcony. Seira turned to face him as he leaned against the railing.

"Yeah, he's probably right." Shinwoo grabbed his jacket from the seat beside him and flung it over his shoulder. "We'll go."

"That might be best." Takeo agreed quietly.

"Come on." Suyi grabbed her hand and lead Yuna from the room. "We'll see you tomorrow?"

Tao eased a smile. "Of course. The boss never lets us off work."

"We'll see you later, then." Ikhan gave a weak wave and closed the door behind them. "It must be worse than we thought. They wouldn't want us to leave if it wasn't serious."

"I don't like this." Suyi dropped Yuna's hand. "The oppas don't know any more than we do."

"Yeah, they couldn't tell us anything." Shinwoo stopped at the gate outside and looked back up at the balcony. Seira stood with her back to them as M-21 spoke. She nodded once and went inside for the first time that evening. M-21 remained outside, taking her place.

Suyi's gaze did not leave her friend. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you caught what Rai has."

"It's just a headache." Yuna's voice wisped though the air. Even the faintness of the sound felt thunderous.

"Where's your backpack?"

"It's…" Yuna reached for the straps, but they were not looped around her shoulders. "I must have left it inside."

"I'll go with you." Shinwoo offered, already heading back.

"No, it's okay. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow." She offered them a weak smile and darted toward the house before anyone could question her.

M-21 disappeared from the balcony as she drew near and already stood in the entrance by the time she arrived. "Need something?"

Yuna slowed to a stop, taking a moment to collect herself. "My backpack."

The answer seemed to be enough for him. M-21 held the door ajar and stepped back to let her enter.

"I'll just be a moment." She ducked around him, but a click from the hallway stopped her in place. "Principal Lee?"

He looked up at the sound of his name. Yuna waved at him, still expecting him to smooth over all her apprehensions with a reassuring smile, but he didn't smile. He only stared at her for a second and walked away in the opposite direction.

"He's preoccupied right now."

Yuna glanced over her shoulder. "He looked tired."

M-21 gathered the scattered items from the coffee table and tossed them back into Tao's bag. Nothing had been eaten. "He had a rough day."

"Is he…" Yuna swallowed hard and kneeled beside her backpack. Condensation dripped down the sides of the drinks and left rings on the surface of the coffee table. She grabbed one and smeared the water away with her palm. "I think… Principal Lee is mad at me… isn't he?"

M-21 stiffened.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said…" She scooped the remaining drinks into her arms and carried them to the refrigerator as tears began to burn her eyes. "I'm just… Tell him I'm sorry about Rai. I didn't mean for this to-"

"It's not your fault." M-21 awkwardly joined her in the kitchen. His hand clutched a box of pocky much too tightly, and the remaining treats were still littered across the coffee table in the living room. "Why would you even say that?"

"I-I made Rai fall."

"What are you talking about?"

She cringed, unable to avert her eyes from his gaze. His expression was so angry. He was mad. She covered her face with her hands to block out the sight. He had been lying. It was her fault, and he blamed her.

"Yuna?"

How could his voice sound so kind when he looked so angry? She squeezed her eyes shut behind her palms. The pain exploded and raged through her mind like a fire. It hurt so much.

"Are you okay?" He gently touched her arm and immediately withdrew his hand. She looked startled. Panicked.

"Please excuse me, Ajussi!" Yuna raced into the living room, snatched her backpack from the floor, and fled from the house.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

**Awaken (Part 4: M-21)**

"Here," M-21 held out the box of pocky with one stick poking above the others like a pack of cigarettes, "Tao bought this for you."

"It's open."

"I was hungry."

Regis pulled the stick out and nibbled on the chocolate end. "Frankenstein doesn't like us eating in the lab."

"I don't think he'll mind this time." He flipped the lid closed and laid the box on the ground in between them. "You have to keep up your strength, right?"

"So you ate my snack?" Regis closed his eyes as he rested against the door.

"I left some for you." Silence settled over them, and he glanced over at the kid. Regis' breathing was normal now. His chest rose and fell at regular intervals, but he hadn't moved since he had arrived. Was he really okay? "It's not like you to sit on the floor like this. Can't say it's elegant."

Regis' eyes cracked open slightly, but he didn't look at his friend. "I just wanted to be near _him_."

M-21 leaned back against the door, mimicking Regis' relaxed stance. Energy buzzed in a steady current from the room behind him, and as Frankenstein had commanded, neither of them had tried to enter. Rai still slept inside. "How is he?"

"A little more stable now. It'll be better once we complete the shrine."

"Frankenstein's pushing himself pretty hard to get that done. I've never seen him so tired." M-21 moved his elbow to lightly tap against Regis' arm. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. I can't complain when Frankenstein's doing this all by himself."

"I thought you were helping him."

"Heh." An exhausted smile crossed his face. "I am no where near powerful enough to be of any use to him. The only thing I can do is put up a force field around the bed while he forges the shrine. Even then, he has to concentrate his powers away from us, or he would easily break through my shield."

"You got that tired just by putting up a shield?"

"You've seen him fight. Try blocking him."

"Yeah, I see what you mean."

"What about you? Should you be here if school's going to start soon?"

"I guess I should go. The kids will be worried if all of us disappear." M-21 shoved himself to his feet and dusted off his uniform. "Hey, Regis… how have the kids been?"

"I don't know. I left with Frankenstein after it happened." Regis fetched the box of pocky from the floor and grabbed another piece before holding the package up to his comrade. "I imagine they would be upset."

M-21 stole a stick of pocky and tossed the box back. "Keep it. It's yours." The elevator brought him to the ground floor before he had enough time to finish the treat. Tao gave him a look of disapproval but said nothing. He would have taken the pocky, too. "Where's Frankenstein?"

"He's asleep." Takeo answered with a hair band between his teeth. He pulled his hair up into a ponytail and quickly tied it back.

"Still? He didn't tell us what we're supposed to say to the children." M-21 turned to Tao expectantly. "They're going to ask."

"They already did last night. We had to make an excuse to leave so that we could think of something." Tao slipped his feet into his shoes and stood in the foyer, waiting to leave. "And we still couldn't come up with anything. We'll just say that he's in the hospital doing tests, and Frankenstein and Regis are with him. We won't know anything until the tests are done. That should last until Frankenstein gives us a better explanation."

"That's not going to work. Yuna saw Frankenstein here last night. We can't just say he was at the hospital."

"When did that happen?"

"She came back after you guys left."

"Great." Tao sank to the ground, sitting on the step in front of the door. "Do you know how hard it was to convince the boss to take a break? Seira had to promise to keep watch all night and to get him if anything happened to the shrine. I told him that everyone left so he wouldn't have to explain his condition or what had happened to his master. It's going to be impossible to make him rest next time!"

"She didn't get a good look at him."

"Well, talk to her to make sure."

"Wouldn't you be better at that?"

"But I wasn't there for it!"

"Quiet down." Takeo pulled his tie around his neck and twisted it into a knot. "As hard as it was to get Frankenstein to go to sleep, do you want to be the one to wake him?"

"It is already too late."

All three of them turned toward Seira then looked past her at Frankenstein. Tao was the first out the door. He grabbed Takeo's tie and yanked him forward before he had time to react. M-21 lingered in the doorway and lifted Takeo's shoes from the floor. Tao hadn't even given him the chance to change out of his slippers.

Seira poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Frankenstein. "There were no changes in the shrine. Regis is now keeping watch."

"Yeah, I just checked on him. He's fine." M-21 grabbed a can of juice from the left over drinks Yuna had put away and searched through the bag of sweets. "They both were."

Frankenstein sighed with relief. "I'll go see to them"

"Hey, boss." M-21 tossed him a box and stuffed a second one into the breast pocket of his own shirt.

"What is this?" Frankenstein stared down at the package. Chocolate mushrooms with crunchy stems looked back up at him in a gaudy display. His eyes shot to M-21 for an explanation.

"You're going to be working hard, right? Gotta keep up your strength somehow."

"Sugar will only give you a momentary burst of energy followed a rapid decline, and I don't allow food in my lab. This is the sort of thing I expect of Tao." Frankenstein kept the package anyway and tucked it into his lab coat. "But I appreciate your concern."

M-21 shrugged. "I'm sure you have everything covered, but call us if you need anything."

Frankenstein nodded as he headed for the elevator. "Don't be late for work."

"So," M-21 glanced at Seira as she hurriedly washed out the coffee pot. Takeo's shoes still dangled from his hand. "Can I walk you to school?"

* * *

I adore chocolate mushrooms. If you haven't had them, they're mushroom shaped chocolates. No real mushrooms involved.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

**Awaken (Part 5: Yuna)**

Rai's desk was empty.

She didn't know what she had expected. Of course he wouldn't be in school today. Of course no one else would sit there. But it was empty, and he was gone.

Yuna folded her arms over her desk and laid her head down on top of them. Her text book was propped up in front of her as she had seen Shinwoo do a hundred times before. As long as she turned the pages with the other students, Pedro would leave her alone. He wasn't the type to make a spectacle of her needlessly. He reserved that for Shinwoo. If she at least feigned to pay attention, he would allow it, and they all had had a rough day yesterday. No felt like causing a scene.

Her eyes closed as she listened to Pedro's lecture. The numbers in her textbook bled together and swam across the page. She couldn't focus on the work anyway. She still had a headache from last night. Trying to concentrate only made it hurt worse. She should have stayed home, but she had hoped to hear some news about Rai. No one seemed to know any more than they had last night.

Fingertips delicately tapped against her arm, but she didn't move. Instead, she found herself facing Rai's empty desk and wishing he would be there when she opened her eyes. The hand grasped her arm again, tightly twisting fingers around the sleeve of her jacket and shaking it anxiously.

"Yuna." Ikhan's voice was barely audible, and his hand slipped from her arm. He sat up straight in his chair and started in on his homework.

Her textbook floated into the air and snapped closed above her head. Pedro gently set it down next to her rather than striking it against the desktop as he had done to Shinwoo the day before. "Yuna, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She looked up at him and lifted her head from her arms. Red eyes stared back at her from behind pink, scarred skin. That wasn't right. Her teacher did not look like that. Yuna shook head to clear the image from her thoughts. The motion sent a shockwave of pain through her mind, and she forced herself not to wince. "I just have a headache."

His expression softened with concern, and Pedro crouched down beside her desk until he was at her eyelevel. He almost never did that. "Would you like to see the nurse?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Don't believe her!" Shinwoo was out of his chair and standing next to Pedro in seconds. The boisterous way he spoke made her head hurt more. "She had a headache last night, too."

"Yuna, is that true?"

Her eyes darted around the room. The entire class was watching her, and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "It's okay. I'm fine."

"It's true." Ikhan said from across the aisle. He looked worried, and he shut his laptop, pushing it to the side in order to give Pedro his full concentration-also something he never did. "She made the same excuse yesterday."

"No, really, I'm fine."

Pedro met her with an unconvinced gaze. His lips turned down at the corners as he searched her eyes for the truth. Finally, he shook his head and pointed at the door. "I'm not taking any chances. Go to the nurse's office." And then he turned to the troublemaker next to him. As many problems as Shinwoo caused, he was still the student Pedro trusted the most. "Shinwoo, make sure she gets there."

"On it." Shinwoo grabbed her backpack from the hook on her desk and slung the strap over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's go."

"Alright." Yuna stood without resistance and picked up her textbook from the desktop. Fighting it any further would only draw more attention to herself. The entire class was watching already, and a few had began to whisper.

Shinwoo snatched the book out of her hands and tucked it under his arm. "I got this. Don't worry about it."

Yuna walked down the aisle with her head downcast to avoid the stares of her classmates and hurried out the door before the gossip reached her. She didn't want to hear their words. After what had happened to Rai, everyone would be interested in why Pedro had forced her to see the nurse. It would have been better to just sit miserably through class.

Shinwoo caught up to her and adjusted his pace so that he walked by her side. "Yuna, what's going on? First Rai. Now you. Did you really catch what he has?"

Yuna shot him a glare.

He snorted once. Any glare from her could hardly be considered threatening. Shinwoo took the hint anyway and immediately changed topics. "Did you see the hyungs this morning? Takeo was still wearing those pink slippers. I think he forgot to change into his shoes."

"Shinwoo…"

"Don't know how he walked all the way to school without noticing!" He laughed. The cackle sounded forced and loud. "Ajussi had to bring his shoes from home."

"Ajussi?"

Shinwoo stopped outside the nurse's office and smiled back at her to cheer her up. "Yeah, I was waiting at the gate for Seira to arrive when-I mean, I was at the gate when Seira and Ajussi got to school, and I saw him carrying Hyung's shoes. It was pretty funny. Ajussi looked so awkward."

"He wasn't mad, was he?"

"Mad about what?" Shinwoo pushed open the door, and flipped on the lights. The nurse wasn't inside. He plopped into the chair at her desk and dropped Yuna's backpack on the floor.

"He looked so angry last night that I thought he might still be upset." Yuna followed him in and sat down in one of the waiting chairs.

"What are you talking about? Ajussi looked really worried yesterday."

"Oh, it's just that… His expression was so…"

"Hey!" Shinwoo jumped from his seat and crashed into the chair next to her, slamming it into the wall. He must have bitten his lip. A little blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. "When you went back inside yesterday, did something happen? What did Ajussi say to you?!"

"No, it's nothing." She answered quickly and tried to divert his attention. "You have blood on your face."

"What? Where?" Shinwoo wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, but it didn't clear the blood away.

"Here, let me help you." Yuna grabbed a first aide kit from the supplies cabinet and ripped open a package of alcohol wipes. "This might sting a bit."

"I can take it."

She pulled out the wet cloth and dabbed the blood. It wasn't coming up. The cloth wasn't even turning red. It didn't make sense.

"What's wrong? Did you get it all?"

"No, it's…" Yuna let the cloth fall from her hands and turned away. She could see the blood on his face clearly. Why wasn't it on the alcohol wipe? She squeezed her eyes shut until the pain in her head subsided a little.

Shinwoo stole the cloth and rubbed it across his entire face. "There, did I get it?"

"Yeah," she didn't even look, "there's nothing there. I was just joking. You should go back to class."

"You don't joke about stuff like that, Yuna," Shinwoo said softly. "It's not like you. What's really going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"What happened between you and Ajussi?"

"Nothing happened. He never said-"

"Something happened!" Shinwoo rose from his seat and threw the alcohol wipe toward the trashcan. "I can tell you're lying. I'll go ask Ajussi about it myself."

"No, wait!" She caught his arm only because he let her. "Don't bother him. I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else."

"Yuna," Shinwoo casually eased into the chair and waited for her to sit next to him again. "You know that I'll always do what's best for you. I'll protect you, I swear."

"It's just that… Ajussi… he's so angry when he looks at me. It's because it's my fault. I knocked Rai down."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

**Awaken (Part 6: M-21)**

"It looked bad enough that he didn't wait for an ambulance." Tao selected a key from the keychain and tried it in the lock. When it didn't fit, he moved on to the next key. This would be his fourth attempt. "But he could blame that on panic. Why he left me in charge will be hard to explain. The assistant principal is already complaining about it. I don't know what Frankenstein was thinking. He completely ignored procedure."

"Maybe he had something in here he didn't want anyone to see?" M-21 took the keychain from his hand and effortlessly found the right key.

"He's not that careless." The key fit. Tao twisted it in the lock and pulled open the drawer to the filing cabinet. "I'm just going to say that I was standing next to him when he thought of it. It could have been anyone. That sounds believable, right? As far as the school knows, something happened to the kid that's practically his son. Of course he would hastily make a few questionable choices in the confusion of the moment. What do you think?"

"Frankenstein never makes bad decisions."

"Yeah, I'm finding it a little hard to believe, too." Tao locked the filing cabinet drawer and carried the papers to Frankenstein's desk. Everything was so perfect. Every pen, every paper, in place. He gently pulled out the chair and sat down without disturbing anything. This felt strange. "I really envy how comfortable you are with everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a little surprised at how well you're taking this. You've known both of them the longest. I though you would be a little more upset."

M-21 shrugged and casually leaned against the filing cabinets. "There's no one better than Frankenstein at what he does. He'll figure something out."

Tao set the papers down and twisted the chair to face his comrade. "M-21... If Frankenstein knew how to fix this, he would have done so by now."

A click and low hum signaled that their earpieces had been remotely accessed. Both men fell silent, waiting for the user to identify himself even though they both knew it would be Takeo. "Hey, are you two still in the principal's office?"

"Yeah, we're both still here," Tao answered. Even with just the two of them, he was still the spokesmen of the group, and M-21 made no indication that he would reply. "What's going on, Takeo? Hear anything from the boss?"

"He hasn't called."

"He wouldn't call unless something went wrong." M-21 closed his eyes while listening to the conversation. He balled his fist and pressed it against his chest. He felt anxious. His heart was racing. He rubbed the palm of his hand against his sternum and concentrated on relaxing the muscles in his body.

It must have been what Tao had said. He knew it was bad. He had never seen Frankenstein so worried before. Rai so weak. Of course it was bad. It was just that-

"M-21, can you handle it?"

His eyes flashed to Tao.

"Don't tell me that you weren't paying attention." Tao sighed as he flipped through the papers on the desk and pulled out one. "Takeo said that Mr. Park called the security office. Shinwoo walked one of the students to the nurse's office, but he hasn't returned to class. Go check on him and deliver this while you're at it."

"What is it?" M-21 took the paper and read the name on the top. "Cadis Etrama di Raizel. What am I supposed to do with this?"

"It's a copy of his health record. Give it to the nurse. Well, she's in a meeting right now. Just lock it in her desk." Tao dangled the keys from his finger. "You know which one it is, right?"

M-21 snatched the keys. "Better than you."

"Don't take long."

"Yeah, yeah." M-21 mumbled as he walked out to the hallway, rolling the paper between his hands, and stopped outside the nurse's office to straightened it out. Frankenstein wouldn't forgive him for damaging files, especially one regarding his master.

"That's crazy!" Shinwoo's voice, as loud as always, floated though the door.

Yuna's unexpected shushing quickly followed it. "Please. Keep your voice down. You promised. I know it sounds crazy."

"Yuna, this is really serious."

"I don't want anyone to know." Her back was to the door, and her face was angled downward. "It's like a dream that I can't quite remember."

M-21 stood still, surprised by the vulnerability with which she spoke. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on the kids. It was just that their conversation felt private. He took a step backward, ready to leave undetected, but the next line froze him in place

"The hardest thing to believe is that there's another man as big as Pedro, and if he had red eyes and scars like you said, there's no way we wouldn't have noticed him. He'd definitely stand out. You know, I could almost picture him wearing a hat and a trench coat."

"Don't joke about that. It's not funny."

"But couldn't you-" Shinwoo looked up and narrowed his eyes.

Yuna followed his gaze and flinched when she met M-21's eyes. Her hand flew to her head like she was in pain. "Ajussi… What are you doing here?"

M-21 held up the paper. It curled where he had rolled it. "Just dropping this off."

Shinwoo jumped out of his chair and crossed the distance between them in an instant. "We need to talk."

"Shinwoo!"

"I swore I'd do what's best for you. I didn't forget." He looked back at Yuna with a flinty expression. "I'll take care of this."

"What's going on here?" M-21 moved out of the way as the boy joined him in the hallway.

Shinwoo shut the door before answering and waited just a moment to see if Yuna would follow. When she didn't, he turned back to M-21. "Yuna told me about what happened last night."

"Last night?" M-21's heart pounded against his ribcage as he remembered the scene. Even just thinking of the way she ran from him made him feel nervous. He clenched his fist until his fingernails cut into his palm and held it against his chest. He drew in slow, steady breaths, but it did nothing to calm the rhythm. He couldn't control it. A sharp pain tore through his chest and into his arm.

"Ajussi?" Shinwoo's eyes had faded from accusatory to alarmed. "Are you having a heart attack?"

M-21 shook his head, uncertain how truthfully he had answered. "You should get back to class."

"No way I'm leaving right now." Shinwoo grabbed his free arm and yanked him into the nurse's office.

M-21 didn't resist. He stumbled after the student and fell into the chair behind the desk. Rai's rolled up health record was now crumpled in his hand. He dropped it on the desk and fumbled for his keys. If he didn't lock it in the desk like he was supposed to, Frankenstein would kill him later.

"Stop that. Let me." Shinwoo pushed his hand away and reached into M-21's pocket. He pulled out his cell phone instead of the keys.

When had that started ringing? M-21 checked his pockets for his keys but came up empty. Had he dropped them? His eyes scanned the room. Yuna was sitting in one of the waiting chairs with her hands over her ears. She was draped forward so that her head nearly touched her knees. Her hair reached the floor.

"Ajussi?"

M-21's eyes cut across to Shinwoo. He looked apprehensive, almost pained, as he held out the phone.

"It's Principal Lee."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

**Awaken (Part 7: Yuna)**

Yuna gasped in a breath. How had she fallen to her knees? She slumped forward until her forehead touched the ground, and her body shuttered from the pain as images burned into her eyes. She could see it. It felt so real. Like a memory rather than a dream. Ikhan had gripped a weapon like a baseball bat. Blood had dripped down Shinwoo's face as he delivered hit after hit, but the man wouldn't go down. Two men had stood in the shadows. She had been so scared. She had been so-

"It's okay. It's okay. Ajussi's fine." Shinwoo's arm wrapped around her, helping her into the chair. He misunderstood, but there was a tenderness in his eyes. An expression of uncertainty that she had rarely seen. Immediately, the look moved from her to M-21.

M-21 stood with his back to them. His shoulders hunched, and his forearm pressed against the wall for support as his freehand held the phone to his ear. "Yes, that was Shinwoo just now. He had my phone." He glanced back at them for a second. His face was twisted into in agony, but his voice sounded normal. He turned away again, speaking in hushed tones.

"Shinwoo," Yuna whispered, not turning her gaze from M-21, "do you remember when you fought that man from the alleyway?"

"The guy I threw a trashcan at?"

She nodded, relaxing a little as the pain ebbed. "Yes, the second time."

Confusion clouded his face. "I only fought him once, and we ran for it, remember?"

"I understand." M-21 ended the call as he stumbled out the door, still pushing his hand against the wall to help himself walk. "I'm coming."

"Ajussi, wait!" Shinwoo ran after him. He snatched M-21's arm and yanked it over his shoulder, supporting his weight. "Come on, Ajussi. We're going back to the nurse's office. I think you're having a heart attack. I'll call-"

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine at all!"

"Let go of me." M-21 stopped, uncomfortable with the closeness, and tried to pull away.

"Not a chance!" Shinwoo struggled to turn him around, but M-21 was still stronger than him. "Ajussi, you can barely walk."

"I said, 'let go.'" His voice sounded firm, marked with authority, but Shinwoo didn't back down. His arms were locked around him, but M-21 easily broke free, holding Shinwoo at arm's length. His hand gripped the boy's jacket, causing it to bunch beneath his fingers.

"Don't!" Her voice sounded so small, but they both instantly turned toward her. She couldn't move. Every muscle in her body tensed. Blood coated Shinwoo's face. M-21's eyes were so fierce. His hands were so close to Shinwoo's neck. So close to becoming a chokehold. Tears rushed to her eyes, and she frantically blinked them back. "Please… don't hurt him… Ajussi."

"I-I wouldn't…" M-21 stuttered, grasping for the right words. His hand fell to his side at once, and he took several steps away from the boy. "I would never…"

"We weren't fighting." Shinwoo interrupted without hesitation. No trace of the blood remained. "I was just worried. I guess I got carried away. Right, Ajussi?"

M-21's hand flew to his headset, switching it on and waiting half a second until a soft buzz told him that someone was listening. "Tao, you'll have to take Shinwoo to class. I have to leave." He ripped the wire from his ear and tossed it to the kids. "Give that to Tao when he comes."

"Ajussi, wait!" Shinwoo started to run after him again, but Yuna touched his arm. He skid to a stop and turned back. "What? We can't let him leave when he's-"

"He's fine. Just let him go."

"How do you…"

Yuna shook her head. "I don't."

"Where is he going in such a hurry?"

She spun around. Tao stood behind her with his hand extended, already waiting for the headset. Yuna gave it to him without delay. "Ajussi was walking us back to class when Principal Lee called. It seemed important."

"He said that he had to leave." Shinwoo followed her lead stride for stride and began to head toward the classroom.

"That's all we know. He didn't tell us anything."

"Well, I guess it can't be helped." Tao grinned, but the smile didn't match his demeanor. He popped his head into the classroom with a wave to Ikhan and then looked back at them. "No more loitering in the halls, okay?"

"Sure." Shinwoo meandered into class with Yuna right behind him. He stopped next to his desk, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I know you can't tell me right now, but I want to know why you lied to him."

Pedro sighed from the front of the classroom. "Shinwoo, sit down."

"Sorry, I was telling Yuna that she forgot her backpack."

"She can get it after class." He picked up a piece of chalk and began to write on the blackboard. "Yuna, share with Ikhan for now."

"You can just take it." Ikhan slid his book over to her desk as she sat down. He closed his eyes, listening to the lecture for once.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

**Awaken (Part 8: M-21)**

"Took you long enough to answer." Takeo spoke with a flare of sarcasm that was unusual for him. Whatever he wanted, it must have been important to set him on edge. "I called three times."

"Sorry." M-21 concentrated on keeping his voice natural. The pain in his chest had diminished, but dredges of it still lingered. The pavement passed under him like a streak of blurred lines, and he told himself over and over to slow down before someone saw him. "I was in a hurry."

"Yeah, I noticed." Takeo leaned back into his chair, staring up at the monitors, and replayed the scene for the third time. "You're lucky Tao hasn't seen this. He's not one for discretion, but I won't be able to hide it from him for long. I just thought I'd give you warning."

"What are you talking about?" M-21 finally eased to a normal speed as he entered the house. Energy thrummed throughout the entire structure. It felt like the place was on fire. He held his palm over his chest. His heart quivered, but it was manageable.

"I'm talking about what happened between you and Shinwoo."

"We were just playing around."

"I think we both know that no one's going to believe that."

"I'm fine."

Takeo tapped his fingers against the desk, debating his next move, but then gave in with a sigh. "And the children are another matter, too. I don't know what happened to you, but I don't want to get them involved. You're going to need my help."

"I'm fine." His voice sounded unconvincing as he staggered through the empty living room and into the hallway. Frankenstein must be in the lab. "It was nothing."

"M-21," Takeo's tone softened, "Yuna looked like she was about to cry."

"Really, I'm-"

"Tao's coming. We'll talk later." Takeo clicked the video feed to the current timeframe just in time.

"Who you talking to?" Tao's voice cut through the receiver, and the call abruptly ended.

M-21 smashed his hand into the buttons by the door and hoped he had pressed the correct one. The elevator began to descend, moving deeper into the energy, and the pressure thickened the lower it went. His back slammed against the wall. It was getting hard to breathe. His eyes closed.

"How long are you going to stand there like that?"

"Regis?" M-21 pushed off the wall as if he had only been casually leaning against it. The boy was sitting on the floor again, but he was as far away from Rai as possible instead of being near him as before. He looked tired. No, it was more than that. He looked afraid. "What's going on?"

"I…" His eyes fell to the ground, and his voice shook as he spoke. "I made a mistake."

"What happened?"

"I wasn't strong enough." Regis drew his knees up to his chest and hugged his arms around them. He stared at his feet as if he couldn't meet his comrade's eyes. One finger drifted down to trace the edge of his shoe. "The shield broke, and I-I made a mistake. I couldn't hold it. It collapsed, and his power instinctively rose up to block Frankenstein's power and-"

"That's not your fault."

"He'll be upset when he awakens… if he awakens."

"The only thing he will be upset about when he awakes will be that his clothes got messed up when he fell in class. Frankenstein said that himself, didn't he?" M-21 crouched down in front of Regis and lightly set his hand on his head to cheer him up. "All you have to do is make sure that he has a fresh uniform when he wakes up."

Regis didn't try to swat the hand away. His head sank lower into his arms, and he seemed more miserable than before. "You should go in. Frankenstein is waiting for you."

"Go in? But he said…" The sound was faint, as light as air, but he knew that Regis would hear him clearly.

"You should hurry." Regis sent his power ahead of M-21 and lit the edges of the doorframe.

A burst of energy ripped through the room as the door opened, and M-21 defensively crossed his arms over his face to block it. His breath sucked out of his lungs, and if his heart had been unsteady before, it felt as though it would explode now.

"M-21, you're here." The voice came from the farthest corner of the room. The calmness of the sound contradicted the hostile atmosphere.

"Yeah, I came as soon as you called." M-21 lowered his hands as the initial surge of power settled to a more bearable level.

"Before you enter, you should know that I don't know the consequences. This is only a guess. You could get hurt." Frankenstein was huddled on the floor in the same position that Regis had been. His arms were wrapped around his stomach, and his gaze never left his master.

"Does that matter?" M-21 snipped and stepped forward, but one look from Frankenstein stopped him in his tracks.

"This is not something you should take lightly." Frankenstein narrowed his eyes and lifted one of his hands, revealing a red stain where his fingers had been. "Does this look like something you can-"

Blood lifted from his fingertips, levitating in the air a moment before it began to swirl in a circle. M-21 held onto the doorjamb. It took everything he had not to fall to his knees. "What's going on? Is that blood field?!"

Frankenstein immediately clamped his hand over the laceration and closed his eyes, stilling himself as much as he could. The blood field made another rotation but dissipated after that. He didn't move for a moment, and when he finally spoke, tranquility filled his voice once again. "He won't let me leave."

"What happened? Regis said that his shield broke."

"I used too much power while forging the shrine. Regis was not able to withstand it, and my power… My master's power reacted to it subconsciously as if I were a threat. He protected Regis."

"What do you need me to do?" M-21 whispered, copying Frankenstein's stillness.

"Your heart contains power from when my master awakened you. If he acknowledges himself in you, it may be enough to alter his reaction toward me. Just enter slowly. See if he accepts you."

M-21 stepped over the threshold and waited for an adverse response. Rai still slept with a peaceful expression, and the soft glow of his aura fluttered over him like flame. It felt immense and endless as if the depth of it filled the room with a far greater concentration than the walls should be able to contain. The white tiles shifted beneath the pressure, struggling to hold the force of it. M-21 hesitantly took another step forward. Rai's energy stretched toward him with a crackle of red light. He stopped in place, allowing it to twist around him with surprising grace. It was difficult to stand beneath the weight, but it didn't feel threatening. It felt protective like a barrier between him and Frankenstein.

_It's okay._ M-21 pushed the thought toward the forefront of his mind. He had seen Rai and Frankenstein communicate through thought before, but he didn't know how they accomplished it. He tried to permeate the words through his heart and into Rai's power. _There's nothing to protect me against._

The power seemed to ease, receding back toward Rai. M-21 carefully turned toward Frankenstein. "What now?"

"Just remain there. I'll come to you." Frankenstein slowly pushed himself up off the floor. Rai's power sharpened at the movement, curving around the room, but it didn't try to form a blood field again. M-21 backed through the door as Frankenstein reached him, and they both escaped without difficulty.

"Are you alright?" Regis flew next to them in a second, wide eyed and nervous as he ascertained Frankenstein's condition.

"The cut isn't threatening." Frankenstein pulled off his lab coat and dropped it in the trash rather than remove the bloodstains from the white fabric. He collected bandages from a supply cabinet and set them on the counter next to him as he began to clean his wounds.

Regis tentatively watched Frankenstein. Concern was clearly etched into his face, and it filled every crevice of his voice. "Are you going to do that yourself?"

"I am the most qualified." Frankenstein sprayed antiseptic over the cut. Even with his improved body, it still stung.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I can easily-" Frankenstein stopped and smiled slightly. "Bring me a clean shirt?"

"I can do that!" Regis eagerly ran for the elevator.

"He's worried about you, you know." M-21 sat down on the examination table.

"It's not like you to point out things like that. Could it be that you are worried yourself?"

M-21 uncomfortably crossed one leg over his knee and gripped the edge of the table in his hands. "He feels responsible since his force field broke. He thinks your master will be upset about what happened to you when he awakens."

"That wasn't Regis' fault. I used more power than he could withstand. I'll talk to him later." Frankenstein wrapped the bandages around his stomach, layering them to stop the bleeding. "Honestly, I am fortunate that I made it off this well. Even if I focus my power away from Regis while making the shrine, wisps of it still beat against his shield. Of course it would feel like an attack. My master's power is unstable right now, unpredictable, and when I broke through Regis' shield, my master instinctively protected him. I couldn't even block it. As dark as my power is? It would have seemed aggressive. It could have been worse." He shook his head in amazement. "It should have been worse."

"I think Regis was right. He will be upset about that when he wakes up."

"I know he will be, but it's not as if he is merely sleeping. His power is collapsing in upon itself. I have to finish this shrine quickly.

"You're going back in there?"

"Of course." Frankenstein answered without reservation. "It's a setback, but that isn't what concerns me."

"It's not?"

"I can feel a fluctuation in my seal."

"What do you mean?" M-21 placed his hand over his heart. It felt steady now. Was what had happened to him at school the result of what was happening with Rai here?

"It lifted on its own." He put away the unused bandages and turned back to M-21. "Have you noticed any changes in yourself?"

The elevator doors slid open, and Regis ran in with a bundle of clothes in his arms. "I hurried as fast as I could."

Frankenstein took his shirt and slipped it over his shoulders. "You brought a school uniform as well?"

"It's for when he wakes up." Regis straightened the clothes on the hanger before they wrinkled and looked up at Frankenstein cautiously. "I'm sorry. I should have asked…"

"Not at all. Thank you." Frankenstein took the uniform and affectingly hung it from an IV stand. "My master and I appreciate this."

"I'll leave you two to talk." M-21 left the lab before Frankenstein could question him any further. The boss had enough to deal with. He didn't need to worry about him just now.

The living room felt serene as he sat down on the couch. It no longer felt like the house was burning beneath the pressure of Rai's power. There was nothing left for him to do here. Maybe he should go back to work? The front door cracked open, and M-21 immediately looked over. School was still in session. No one should be home yet. Seira stared at him from the foyer, and after a second, closed the door.

"You came home early?"

"I could feel the disturbance in power from the school."

"It has settled down now."

"Yes, I know." Her expression didn't change, but she seemed disappointed that she had come too late to help. Unlike him, she had walked.

M-21 pulled the package of chocolate mushrooms from the breast pocket of his shirt. "They're probably melted by now, but I bet Frankenstein and Regis could use a snack."

"I understand." She took the package and headed down to the lab.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

* * *

**Awaken (Part 9: Yuna)**

Caution signs and orange cones dotted the edge of the room and warned her of a danger she couldn't see. A pile of steel bars that was half covered by a flimsy tarp was next to it, but what awaited her beyond that was a mystery. Darkness veiled everything, and the longer she stared into it, the deeper it became. She could hear someone or something moving through the shadows, but she couldn't bring herself to call out to it, to let it know that she was awake.

The floor was freezing where her skin touched the concrete, and she pulled her legs under her so that she was kneeling on her knees. Her arms wrapped around her stomach, shivering from fear more than the cold. Footsteps echoed from the walls, making the approach of the intruder difficult to place, but she had the feeling that it knew exactly where to find her.

"Here." Shinwoo held out her backpack with one hand, dangling it from his fingers by the straps. "If we're late, they'll make us buy the snacks."

The construction site disappeared, and she was in the school hallway once again. She looked over. He was expecting an answer, but she wasn't sure what he had said. Yuna took her backpack from his hand. "You're the one that forgot it."

"Sure, blame me." His lips curved back into his usual charismatic smile.

She must have been right. Yuna released a slow breath of gratitude. He hadn't caught on to her distraction. "Come on. We should leave before we have to buy the snacks."

"I just said that." The grin spread, and Shinwoo laughed as he lead her down the hallway. His voice sobered when they came to their classroom, and he stopped in the doorway without drawing attention to himself.

Pedro hunched over his desk as he checked the students' papers against his answer sheet. He dropped his pen onto the desktop with a deep sigh and leaned back into his chair with his hands behind his head. The motion seemed more exhausted than relieved, and he stared up at the ceiling. "That makes everyone except…"

Shinwoo left the doorway without saying goodbye. Neither of them felt like joking around right now, and he waited until the school gates were far behind him before he finally brought up what was on his mind. "I know we shouldn't go to see them tonight, but I…"

"I'm worried about Seira, too." Yuna slid her thumbs under the straps of her backpack and squeezed the material between her fingers as she walked. "After the way she just left during the middle of class, I thought something may have happened to Rai. We still haven't heard anything about him."

"I meant about Ajussi having a heart attack."

"Oh… that."

"I thought you'd be more worried about him than anyone else since you…" Shinwoo looked down at the ground rather than meet her eyes. He was walking on the white line between the blue and orange pavement, and if anyone else had been on the sidewalk, he would have carelessly bumped into them by now. "Ah, never mind. You said he'd be fine. That's why you lied to Tao hyung, right? Ajussi doesn't like people worrying about him."

"Yeah, that's it." She watched the buildings pass her by. The convenience store where they usually bought the snacks lay to the right, and she quickly ducked into it rather than risk him continuing the topic. "We might as well go ahead and buy something. Otherwise, Suyi will insist on paying again even though we're the last ones there."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Shinwoo grabbed an orange container from the refrigerated section and pretended to read the back. "I realize that she has the money for it, but she pays every single time. I feel a little guilty about it. Don't tell the others I said that."

"How could I?" A fragile smile held her lips. "You're keeping a secret for me."

"Yeah." His tone fell flat, and he handed her the container. "Here, you like this kind, don't you?"

"You remembered?" Yuna took the juice. It felt cool against her skin.

"Hey." The voice came from behind her with an unnerving fierceness.

"Yes?" The sound was barely a whisper, and Yuna turned around with wide eyes.

The man stood above her like a tower with shoulders twice as broad as any man she knew except Pedro, but for what the teacher matched him in width, the man more than made up for in height. He said nothing further, but his eyes locked with hers. Something about his gaze wouldn't let her look away although her vision began to fade to black. Her fingers loosened around the bag as her body started to go limp, and the juice crashed to the ground.

"I got it." Shinwoo dropped to one knee and snatched the container from the floor. "You're lucky that it didn't break."

"I-I.. I saw…" Yuna looked around anxiously. They were alone. The man was gone. Her hand flew to her head, and she squeezed her eyes shut. He had been there. She had seen him so clearly. His frame. His eyes. He seemed so real. She couldn't have imagined-

"Headache?" Concern filled the question, and his fingers pressed against her forearm with a touch so hesitant that it didn't feel like him. Shinwoo was never cautious about anything. He breathed self-confidence.

Yuna shook his hand off and clung her arm defensively against her chest. Was that his real reaction or had she imagined? She searched his face for a sign of the truth. He looked so uncertain as he stood there with his hand still in the air. Her reaction must have surprised him, but his countenance softened with understanding. A streak of blood trailed down his face, curving along his jaw line until it finally dripped from his chin.

"Shinwoo, you're…" She took a step backward as his hand finally fell to his side, and she shook her head in disbelief. The blood wasn't real. It wasn't really there. "Shinwoo, I'm…" Her back hit the shelving unit behind her, and she dashed forward, passing him and throwing herself into the door. It swung open wildly, dumping her out onto the sidewalk.

"Hey, wait!" Shinwoo called after her, easily matching her strides, and grabbed her wrist tightly. He slowed his pace, forcing her to a walk. "Why are you running?"

She tried to pull herself free, but he didn't release her this time. Yuna stopped struggling. She couldn't beat him in strength. Instead, she stared down at her shoes and gave the only defense she had. "You're shoplifting."

He let go at once and looked at the juice in his hand then back at the store. The clerk nervously paced behind the counter, panicking and unsure of what to do. "I have to go pay for this. Don't leave, okay?"

"Okay."

"No, promise me." A sense of gravity overwhelmed his demeanor. "You won't leave?"

"I won't."

"Okay." He gave her one last glance then ran inside the store.

Yuna clung to the straps of her backpack. Her hands trembled, and she had to remind herself that the blood wasn't real. It was nothing more than a daydream. In illusion. But even as she reassured herself, her doubts echoed the words. It felt too familiar. It wasn't that something was suddenly added. No, it had always been there. Even forgotten memories have existed once. It wasn't as if she had lacked them before. Rather, she had never been able to access them until now.

"Here." Shinwoo held out his hand sheepishly and uncurled his fingers to reveal a bottle of pain reliever in his palm. "I thought you might need this."

"Thanks." Yuna twisted the lid off and took two tablets from the bottle. He pulled a drink from his bag and gave that to her as well. He was trying so hard to protect her even from something like this. The way he was right now, this was real. "Shinwoo, about earlier… I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He shoved his hands in his pocket and waited for her to take the medicine before he continued walking toward the principal's house. "Just… don't hide it, okay? Not from me."

"Okay."

"I mean that. It's okay to tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"Shinwoo," Yuna glanced over at him timidly, "what do you think Ajussi did before he worked at the school?"

"I don't know. Probably something guard related. Maybe military? He seems really well trained. Why bring it up?"

"I'm just starting to wonder."

* * *

A/N: Scenes and quotes from Noblesse chapter 28. All credit goes to the creators. I used the English translation version from EGScans.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

* * *

**Awaken (Part 10: M-21)**

Ikhan's head drifted down toward the table, and he propped it up with his chin resting in his palms. Even just sitting there looked exhausting, and Suyi wasn't any help. Her phone captivated her attention, and she was too busy with texting Yuna to notice just how bored he was. With Rai sick, Shinwoo late, and Regis missing, he didn't really have anyone to talk to, and even Tao hadn't shown himself yet. Ikhan glanced over at Suyi as if about to start a conversation but let the moment pass with a sigh. This must be killing him.

M-21 turned back to the kitchen and waited for the coffeemaker to brew the coffee. It never seemed to take this long when Seira made it. Was he doing something wrong?

"Do you remember how Frankenstein left _him_ a note about making coffee?" Takeo leaned against the counter near the sink and spoke just above a whisper although the kids weren't close enough to overhear.

"Yeah. What was it? Eight teaspoonfuls of sugar?" M-21 pressed the largest button again, but nothing changed. Maybe it was broken? "Or was it tablespoons?"

Takeo laughed into his hand, muffling the sound so that the kids wouldn't hear it. "The three of us were so helpless. Couldn't even make one cup of coffee. I guess not much has changed."

M-21 tapped the side of the coffeepot, causing his fingernails to click against the glass, and he looked up with frustration. "I followed the directions."

"It might help if you plugged it in." Takeo opened a cabinet and pulled out two white mugs. He placed them next to the coffeemaker and moved on to find the cream and sugar. "It looks like Ikhan and Suyi don't know anything. I guess Shinwoo and Yuna didn't tell them yet."

His body stiffened involuntarily, and M-21 plugged in the cord to give himself a little time to recover. He did not want to have this conversation right now. "Those two are taking awhile to get here."

"I don't know how long Tao will be, either. We need to talk before he comes back."

"I'm a little busy right now."

"Don't give me that." Takeo's eyes narrowed into a glare, easily undermining the weak diversion, but he quickly banished the expression before the children looked over. Instead, concern filled his voice although he tried to hid it. "What happened to you?"

"It was…" M-21 struggled for the right words, but nothing came to mind. He held his hand over his heart absentmindedly. It felt unnaturally calm as if in direct contradiction to what had happened earlier. Did that mean that Rai was doing well? He dropped his hand before Takeo noticed the gesture. If the others started to worry about him, they would only tell the boss, and he didn't want to take Frankenstein's attention away from his master. "It was right after Frankenstein called… he just told me to come without explaining anything, and I guess I overreacted. I thought _he_ may have…"

"I understand." Takeo exhaled slowly. "I would have done the same."

Finally, a small stream of coffee trickled into the coffeepot. M-21 filled both cups and turned off the coffeemaker. "I'll talk to Shinwoo and Yuna when they arrive."

"Need some help?" Takeo stirred creamer into the cup closer to him. "Communication's not exactly your strongpoint."

"I'll manage." M-21 stole both cups and carried them out of the kitchen.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"What? You thought I was making this for you?" M-21 smirked as he walked out to the balcony. "Make your own."

Seira stood alone with her hands on the railing, and she looked up at his approach.

"I made some coffee." M-21 balanced the cup on the rail next to her and cradled his own cup between his hands. The warmth of it sank into his fingertips, and he gently blew away the rising steam. "Ikhan and Suyi just arrived. Why don't you spend some time with them?"

She slipped her fingers around her cup and stared into it rather than answer.

"I bet the kids are worried since you left during the middle of class." M-21 folded his arms on the railing and dangled his cup over the edge. He had his own absence to explain to the children. Maybe he should have taken Takeo up on his offer, but at least Yuna and Shinwoo weren't here yet. He had a little more time before he had to worry about that.

Seira finally brought the cup to her lips and didn't cringe as she took a sip. It must taste okay, but even if it didn't, she would have never said anything. It was hard to tell. She lowered her drink and looked over at him. "I would have made this if you had asked."

"That's why I didn't ask. I thought you could use a break, too."

"I see."

"You've been spending a lot of time out here ever since… but I guess there isn't much to do with Regis helping Frankenstein."

Her gaze fell back down to her cup.

"Is there something wrong?"

Seira slid a few strands of hair behind her ear. "It's just that-"

"I don't know what's taking them so long." Suyi slammed her phone down on the table hard enough to make Ikhan jump. "Yuna said she'd be here soon. Honestly, it doesn't take that long to walk here from school even if she forgot her backpack."

"Is it that surprising if Shinwoo's with her?" Takeo called from the kitchen as he made another pot of coffee. "He's always late for everything. I could go buy some snacks while waiting."

"No," Suyi crossed her arms smugly, "Shinwoo's last. He can do it for taking so long."

"Tao's taking awhile, too." Takeo poured the coffee into a mug and reluctantly selected a game to play. Something that had weak penalties for when he lost. "I sent him a text when you guys first got here."

"He usually comes without a second thought as soon as the conversation ends." M-21 walked over to the doorway and glanced back at Seira. Whatever she had wanted to say wouldn't be finished right now. "I'll go find him."

"Ajussi?" Ikhan looked a little nervous. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's nothing. Never mind."

"I'll only be a minute." M-21 dodged into the hallway but immediately took the elevation to the lab instead of looking for Tao. Once Yuna and Shinwoo arrived, it would be difficult to hide what had happened to him. He needed an excuse to explain that it wasn't a heart attack, but it wasn't anything serious, either. He couldn't talk to Frankenstein about it, but there may be a medical book that he could use.

"I think Frankenstein's scared."

The words were soft and sincere and not spoken to him. M-21 lingered in the elevator rather than approach. He held his palm against the door to keep it from closing and interrupting the conversation.

"He's acting as professionally as he always does. I can't really explain it. There's just little things like the way he left me in charge or how he wants Seira to look after us while he's down here with you. I guess there's no real evidence, but I think he's the most scared of all of us. Maybe it's because he's the closest to you, or maybe he just knows the most about what's happening to you. Either way, I think he's really worried. He just doesn't show it. That's why you have to wake up soon. I don't know what he'll do if he loses you again. It'd be hard on all of us, but it'd be the worst for him."

M-21 removed his hand, allowing the doors to slide closed. It was time to reveal himself. The conversation was private. He shouldn't eavesdrop.

"Ah, what am I saying? I shouldn't be telling you depressing things like that. What's happy? The children came to see you. We couldn't let them down here, of course, but I thought you'd like to know. They're here now. Upstairs. Takeo's with them, probably losing at some game. I swear they cheat. I have no idea how they always win. I should probably be up there with them, but it doesn't really feel right without you there. Being down here's a little hard, too. I'm trying to think of the last time that I talked to you like this, but I can't. I guess we've never really talked that much. Strange how it takes this to make me think of that. Know what else? M-21's here, too. He's hiding over by the elevator. Probably doesn't want to interrupt, but he can't quite leave, either. He's like that sometimes."

M-21 gave up his position and walked into Tao's line of sight. "What are you doing?"

"Just talking to him." Tao sat on the floor with his back against the door just as Regis had done. "I heard that you're supposed to talk to people in comas. It helps."

"I didn't know that."

"Yeah, he probably can't hear me, but I just thought… if there was a chance…" Tao shook his head. "The kids still here?"

"Suyi and Ikhan."

"Ahh," his head tilted back, knocking against the door, "if Shinwoo's not here then maybe Takeo stands a chance. Might actually win for once."

"He'd have a better chance if you were up there with him."

"Alright, I'll go." Tao picked himself up from the ground and dusted off his clothes. "The boss really needs to get come chairs down here. There's nowhere to sit except at the computer."

"You could have pushed that chair over here."

"That is out of the question." Frankenstein's voice was firm as the elevator doors slid open.

They both looked over, and Tao laughed nervously. "Sorry, we-"

"I ask you to reconsider." Seira trailed after him as he stepped into the lab. "I am able-"

"It is not a matter of capability." Frankenstein slid open a drawer, grabbing a new lab coat from it, and he smoothed out the wrinkles with his hand. "And it's not that I haven't considered it…"

"I think it's time for me to go." Tao spoke under his breath even though they both knew Frankenstein was aware of their presence. "I'll see you upstairs."

M-21 nodded without taking his eyes from the boss. Was this what Seira had started to say earlier?

Frankenstein tugged the lab coat over his shoulders and pulled his hair out from under the collar. "But if my master knew that I had left the others unprotected for his sake-"

"He wouldn't like it." M-21 said from across the room and rested his hand against the door that separated him from Rai. Energy flowed behind it peacefully. Was that a good sign? "But if there's something more that you can do for him, don't hesitate to do it. We're all willing to take the risk."

Frankenstein shook his head. "Master wouldn't-"

"What if it's something light? You were holding back for Regis, right? You could do that for Seira, too." His hand fell to his side, and he turned to face them. "Where is Regis?"

"I gave him a sedative so that he could rest. He doesn't yet have the stamina for creating a shrine. He has to recover between every attempt."

"I am able to help." Seira offered quietly. "I want to."

"Alright," Frankenstein conceded, "as long as it's light work it should be fine. M-21, send the kids home. I don't want them to be here for this."

* * *

A/N: Paraphrased quote from Noblesse chapter 28. All credit goes to the creators. I used the English translation version from EGScans.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

* * *

**Awaken (Part 11: Yuna)**

"Don't cry even if I hit you hard." Shinwoo clenched his fist and stepped forward, using the momentum to increase the impact. His center of gravity lowered, aiding his balance as his hand shot toward Tao's face, and he snapped his wrist at the last moment, landing a forceful blow against the man's forehead with the tips of his fingers.

"That stung." Tao slid his hand under his hair, pulling his bangs back to reveal a pink mark on his skin, and he rubbed it tenderly as disbelief filled his voice. "That _actually _stung."

"This is my power!" Shinwoo folded his arms over his chest and laughed far too loudly to fit the situation. He looked to his friend, expecting to be commended for the victory.

Ikhan traced one finger along the table top with boredom as his other hand supported his head. His eyes glanced up to Shinwoo for a second then fell back down to the game board. "As expected, you're amazing."

"Did you have to say that so dryly?" Shinwoo collapsed into the seat next to Yuna as the others continued with the game. "You don't seem like you're having much fun."

"I don't really feel like playing right now." Yuna stared down at her hands. Rai's seat was still vacant, and she, like everyone else, couldn't bring herself to look at it.

Shinwoo leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You doing okay?"

"Never better." Yuna answered softly and showed him a smile that was far too fragile to be convincing.

"Yeah right." Shinwoo snorted at the lie. "Like I'd believe that."

"I don't know." She shook her head, sending a small shockwave of pain though it, and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. With her hands no longer filling her sight, her eyes automatically flittered to the head of the table. "I just feel nervous. We shouldn't be here."

"I want to talk to Ajussi and maybe find out something about Rai." He looked at her with something of a simper, but it didn't reach his eyes. His smile was as fake as hers had been. "We can leave after that."

"What are you two whispering about?" Suyi scooted across the couch until her arm brushed against Yuna's, and her voice rose and fell mischievously in a singsong tone. "Telling secrets?"

"No!" Yuna answered a little too frantically. She tried to ease a casual expression onto her face, something to make her answer believable, but it was too late. Suyi's eyes already held her in suspicion. "I mean… we only… It was nothing."

"You're such a bad liar."

"I was just asking Yuna if she wanted to go to the PC Bang with me after this." Shinwoo said much more persuasively. His eyes darted to the empty chair and back to Suyi. "I don't think we should stay here too long since Rai's sick."

"You two have been spending a lot of time together lately." Her timbre fluttered with amusement as she watched Takeo move his game piece several spaces, but her attention was no longer on the game. "…sitting so close."

Yuna shot him a warning glance, but Shinwoo only shrugged, oblivious to the implied meaning. "We always spend time together like this. What's the problem with that?"

"A lot more time than normal." Suyi turned toward them with a grin. "Are you two going out?"

"What!" Shinwoo flushed.

"You are! You know, you don't have to keep it a secret. Although, I always thought Shinwoo had a thing for Sei-"

"Don't say that!"

"They're not going out, and you know it." Ikhan answered just as blandly as before, and he tipped his game piece over with his finger. "Stop causing trouble."

"I just… I didn't..." Suyi stood and smoothed the edge of the skirt as she rose. "It's just weird being here without Rai, and even Seira and Regis are gone. We're just in the way. I'm leaving. Come on, Ikhan."

"Why do I have to go with…" Ikhan's voice trailed off as the elevator opened onto their floor. M-21 stepped out, glancing down the hallway once before reluctantly entering the living room. "You're right. We should all leave."

"Everyone's still here?" M-21 asked, looking over the children with his eyes, and he paused on Shinwoo a second longer than the others. "It's time for you kids to head home."

Yuna flinched at the sound of his voice. "Why… Why are you doing this?"

M-21 stooped down beside her close enough that she could see every jagged edge of the scar that marred his face. "Shut up." His lips pulled back contemptuously, and his eyes darkened, transforming into something wild and murderous. "You're so loud I want to kill you right now."

"Yuna," Shinwoo forcibly grabbed her arm, shaking her out of the hallucination. "Go home with Suyi. I'll handle this."

"What are you…" The image evaporated. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her hands. M-21 still stood across the room and was unaware of her misgivings as he traded glances with Takeo. He hadn't spoken to her at all. "This is crazy."

"I've got this." Shinwoo patted her shoulder lightly, giving her another hollow smile, and turned his gaze to M-21. "Hey, Ajussi, we need to talk."

"Come on, Tao." Takeo grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the board game. "Let's walk the kids home."

"Is everyone really leaving so early?" Tao shoved the board back into the box and quickly gathered the pieces. Usually Regis did this work.

"Just leave it. Let's go." Takeo shoved him through the doorway and looked back at M-21 one last time. "Don't take too long."

"Hey, what's goin-" Tao's voice was cut off by the closed door.

"Well?" M-21 looked at the kids, expecting them to make the first move.

Shinwoo stared back silently, hesitating too much to conceal, and he took in an uneven breath. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Look, if this is about earlier, I wasn't having a heart attack. It was nothing like that so you don't need to worry." M-21 grabbed Takeo's coffee cup from the table and carried it to the sink where his and Seira's cups still waited to be washed. "I'm okay."

"You couldn't even walk, Ajussi."

"I told you that I'm okay." He tried to sound reassuring, but neither of them looked convinced. Instead, he returned to cleaning up the mess. Snacks lay scattered across the tabletop, but just like their last visit, nothing was opened.

"Shinwoo," Yuna tentatively touched the sleeve of his shirt, "we should leave. You don't have to do this for me."

"I told you I'd take care of this. I won't let anything happen to you."

"What's going on?" M-21's eyes cut across to them, and he met their gazes with accusation. "Did someone try to hurt you?"

Shinwoo boldly met his eyes. "That's what I wanted to ask you about."

"What are you getting at?"

"I heard about what happened between you two." Shinwoo protectively positioned himself in front of her. "What's your reason for doing this?"

"What are you talking about? I have never…" The words caught in his throat. He took a breath and tried again. "I _would_ never hurt her."

"Shinwoo," Yuma whispered, pulling on his arm. "Please…"

"Yuna, tell him. I would never-" He took a step toward her.

"Stay back!" Yuna's fingers wrapped around Shinwoo's arm until they cut off his circulation, and she squeezed her eyes shut again as wave after wave of images seared through her mind.

"Leave her alone!"

"I didn't mean…"

Yuna let go of his arm and fell into a chair. Even with her eyes closed, she could see it clearly. The murderer stepped out from behind M-21, and an eerie red light glowed from his eyes like some kind of monster. Her hands curled around her head, and she sank to the floor. The memories hurt so badly. They felt so real.

Foot steps pounded down the hallway with the sound of bare feet striking the cold floor. They stopped outside of the elevator, and Regis impatiently pushed the button several times. The doors slid open, and in an instant, he was gone.

"You two need to go home right now." M-21 announced, and with that, he sprinted after the noble.

"Are you okay?" Shinwoo asked, too worried to chase after M-21. He knelt beside her and waited until she was able to look up at him.

Yuna shook her head. "I just want to go home. I think I'm… This is crazy."

* * *

A/N: Quotes taken from chapter 29 & 30.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

* * *

****

Awaken (Part 12: M-21)

"Regis!" The air felt like fire, choking the word into a whisper although he was certain that he had screamed it, and he crossed his arms over his face to shield it from the heat. M-21 stumbled out of the elevator, struggling beneath the weight of the pressure and reached for something, for anything, to steady himself. "Regis!"

"M-21?" Regis' voice sounded clearly, and he stood poised with his hand outstretched toward the room that housed Rai. "What are you-"

"What happened?" M-21's fingers wrapped around a mixture of metal and cloth, finally finding something to support himself, and his free hand clenched into a fist against his chest. His heart felt quiet despite the friction in the atmosphere. Had it grown strong enough to endure under this amount of pressure without reacting? "Did the shield break again?"

"Seira called me. She's-" Blue electricity sparked from his fingertips and crackled along the doorframe. The doors slowly rolled back on their own, releasing a shockwave of aura into the air.

M-21 grabbed the IV stand with both hands to keep himself from crumbling to the floor. Rai's uniform trembled from where hung from the pole. "Is Frankenstein…"

Regis glanced back at him.

"Is he…" He pushed forward, forcing his way through the aura and dragging the IV stand along with him.

Black and purple flames licked at the walls with the startling contrast of burning darkness. The white panels shifted and bowed beneath its touch, and Frankenstein scowled at he walls with disapproval. Something wasn't right. He decreased his power into finer strokes and began to carve detailed lines along the walls. Wisps of red broke through the barrier that surrounded Rai and tore across the room, twisting around Frankenstein's power until it snuffed out the flames. Frankenstein immediately leapt to the center of the room where Seira waited, and she encompassed them both beneath a force field while attempting to reform the one that had been broken. Rai's power washed over them, curving along the surface of the shield and trapping them inside.

Closing his eyes, M-21 stepped into the doorway and let the power flow into him until it coursed through his heart. _There is nothing to protect here._

"M-21?" Regis said from behind him. "What are you…"  
_  
You've kept everyone safe for long enough. _ He took a step forward, easing into the room just as he had done before. _You don't have to protect us anymore. Just rest. Just-  
_  
_Awaken._

"M-21!" Regis grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him back hard enough to knock him to the ground. The IV stand teetered for a second before the weight of Rai's clothing threw off its balance, and it collapsed with a metallic ring.

M-21's eyes flashed open in surprise. _ Did you-_

"What are you doing?!" Regis glared down at him as anger and fear overwhelmed his eyes. "You could have hurt _him_."

"What?" M-21 shoved the pole to the side and propped himself up on his elbows. "What are you talking about? The shield broke. Frankenstein and Seira were-"

"They were building the shrine. Disrupting the process could hurt _him _and them alike." Regis fell to his knees and scooped Rai's uniform into his arms as his voice broke with desperation. "What were you thinking? You knew not to enter the shrine." His arms tightened around the uniform, hugging it to his chest. "How could you just throw this on the ground? You said he'd want it when he wakes up. You said-"

"This is enough for the night." Frankenstein walked into the lab with Seira trailing behind him. "Nothing more than light work. I don't want you to wear yourself out."

"Yes," Seira agreed simply, "I will be sure to rest."

"That would be for the best." Frankenstein pulled out a chart and jotted down a few notes as he spoke. "Regis, you should rest as well. You must be tired. The sedative I gave you shouldn't have worn off yet."

"I want…" Regis' eyes fell to the ground, and he clutched the clothing even tighter, reluctant to leave.

"Is there a problem?"

He shook his head. "No, I will do that. Good night."

"Good night." Frankenstein said without looking up. "M-21, what are you doing on the floor?"

"I..." M-21 stood and set the IV stand upright with more care than necessary. "No reason."

Frankenstein slipped his glasses from his nose and folded them neatly between his fingers. "You do know I saw Regis pull you back?"

"He didn't mean to knock me down. I tripped."

"You tripped? From that light of a tug?" Frankenstein sighed and continued to write his notes. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw Regis run down here, and I thought…"

"I asked Seira to have him open the door. I did not wish her to overexert herself."

"I know." M-21 looked down at his fingertips, tracing the edge of his fingernails with his thumb. "You want someone of a clan leader's level to watch over us while you're busy here." He looked up again. "How is he?"

"He's still asleep. As long as he stays in that state, his body will recover little by little." Frankenstein carried the chart over to his computer chair and began to compare the new information to the previous entries. "That's the best that we can hope for right now."

"Can a noble… Is it possible…" M-21 swallowed and tried to push the hesitancy from his tone. "When a noble sleeps, is he able to communicate?"

"Nobles are no more able to communicate in their sleep than humans. It is only the healing process that is different." He looked over his shoulder at him and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That is a strange thing to ask."

"I was just curious." M-21 turned his back on him to hide his face from the man's gaze and tenderly pressed his hand against the door that separated Rai from them. "He's just using his powers subconsciously, isn't he? Even in his sleep…"

"M-21, is there a reason you ask?"

M-21 ripped his hand away from the door and spun around to face him. "No, I didn't mean..."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. I just…" He forced himself not to reach for his heart. Such a reaction would only fuel Frankenstein's doubts. "Can I take the first watch? You've been working so hard, and I… I can't help with the shrine, but I can watch over him while you rest."

Frankenstein studied him a moment, not believing the excuse, but he slowly stood and put his notes away anyway. "If that is what you want."

M-21 nodded, finally allowing himself to look away. "I just want to help where I can."

"I understand." Frankenstein hung his lab coat on a hook and pressed the button for the elevator. The doors slid open, but he stood unmoving before them. "M-21, are you sure you are feeling well?"

M-21 pressed his lips, grateful that that Frankenstein didn't turn around. "I said I'm fine."

Frankenstein stepped into the elevator and selected the correct floor. "Be sure to clean up."

M-21 waited for him to disappear and turned back to the door. Even with it shut, he could feel Rai's power churning inside. He pressed his back against the door and slid to the ground._ I heard you say "awaken."_

No answer came.  
_  
Who were you trying to awaken?_ He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. _It couldn't have been me. You've already done that._

M-21 summoned his power to his fingertips as a casual display of proof. His nails grew into long black claws and stopped abruptly at that point. He pulled more power, forcing enough energy to transform his fingers into daggers, for fur to cloak his flesh, but the appearance of his hand didn't change.  
_  
What did you do?_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

* * *

**Awaken (Part 13: Yuna)**

Her eyes were closed as she laid on the floor, too exhausted to pull herself into her bed even if the hour of sleep hadn't already passed, and her alarm clock chimed with the shrill cries of morning. She reached blindly for her nightstand, wrapped her fingers around the device, and ripped the cord from the wall before it could sing yet another painful lullaby. The sound continued to shriek through the air, and she finally opened her eyes. Her phone rang from its perch on her dresser, shooting a new wave of pain through her mind, but she didn't move to answer it. It would fall silent on its own soon enough.

Shadows swayed from behind the crack under her door as her mother anxiously paced back and forth in the hallway outside her bedroom. The motion ceased at once as she began to speak, but her mother's hushed tones did nothing to stop her voice from drifting through the door. Yuna stretched toward her pillow, catching it by the corner of the pillowcase, and yanked it from the bed. It landed next to her on the floor, and she pulled it over her head. She didn't want to hear this. She couldn't bare to listen to her mother make up excuses for why her daughter was not in class, and Yuna couldn't bring herself to explain the truth. The idea that Ajussi would be there, standing at the gate, caused her to quiver in fear no matter how much she tried to convince herself that it wasn't real, these memories never happened, and she wasn't insane. The shadows disappeared, fading into light as her mother walked away from the door, and her voice also vanished into silence.

A knock shook her door, and she peeked out from under the pillow. The shadows had returned, but she didn't move to answer it. In a moment, her mother would give up again and leave her alone.

"Yuna?" The voice whispered her name delicately and waited for her to respond. When she didn't, the doorknob slowly began to turn. "I'm coming in."

"I'm not going to school." She muttered into the pillow.

"Neither am I." Ikhan sank to the floor next to her as the light from the open door surrounded his silhouette. "When you weren't in class, Shinwoo panicked. He jumped out of his seat during roll call and ran toward the door. Pedro blocked it and told him to sit down. Shinwoo darted around him. Never even hesitated. You should have seen him. It was crazy."

"He's not crazy."

"Yeah, well, Ajussi stopped him in the hallway, and Shinwoo… I've never seen him like that. The way he glared at Ajussi, it was like he was someone else, and I thought that Shinwoo was going to start a fight until Tao hyung showed up and smoothed everything over. I thought that maybe… Shinwoo tried to escape again between classes, but they were ready this time. They took him to the principal's office to call his dad, and I slipped out during the distraction." Ikhan grabbed the pillow and gently lifted it from her head. "So how do you feel? Are you okay?"

"My head hurts." She said weakly and pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Yeah, I know…" Ikhan tried to smile although it looked more like a grimace. He pressed his lips until his expression almost appeared normal again. "It's pretty bad for you, isn't it?"

She nodded her head and instantly regretted it. "How is… Is Shinwoo okay?"

"He's in a little trouble, but since Principal Lee's hasn't been at school since Rai… I don't think anyone really knows what to do about it." He tossed the pillow back on the bed. It hit the side of the mattress and dropped to the ground again. Neither of them moved to pick it up. "After Shinwoo… I want to show you something. I think that you might understand."

"What is it?"

"You'll see." Ikhan stood up and left her on the floor. "I'll give you a minute."

The door shut behind him, and Yuna lifted herself off the ground. Her phone vibrated on her dresser, signaling yet another missed message. She quickly opened the text and reluctantly read Shinwoo's words. He was so anxious, so desperate to hear from her, but she couldn't answer him. It was bad enough that Ikhan had caught her crumpled on the floor, still wearing the same clothes as the day before. She didn't want Shinwoo to see her like this, too. He was already worried, already acting so foolishly for her sake, and she didn't want to drag him into this any further. He had protected her enough.

"Are you ready?" Ikhan asked tentatively from the hallway.

Yuna grabbed a jacket and zipped it over her shirt. That would have to be enough for now. She slipped her phone into her pocket and stepped into the hallway. "My mom called into school for me. I shouldn't go anywhere. Someone will think we skipped class."

"I did."

"I don't want you to get in trouble." She winced as a scene of him running into a dark room with a wooden stick took over her mind, and she bit her lip to suppress the picture. It wasn't real. It wasn't. A rattling sound woke her from the vision.

Ikhan held out a bottle of pain reliever and casually shook it until the pills inside beat against the container. "You'll want this."

"I really can't go." She took the bottle anyway and rummaged through the kitchen cabinets for a cap. "My mom-"

"She already left."

Yuna glanced back at him, nearly dropping the glass. "How did you…"

"I used the spare key. You really shouldn't hide it under your rug." Ikhan shrugged nonchalantly, but this indifference fled as a twinge of fear rooted itself in his voice. "I tried to call, but I just got your voicemail. No one answered the door, and I got worried. After yesterday… I thought that…" He shook his head and pulled the glasses from his face. Dragging the sleeve of his jacket over his hand, he rubbed the lenses between his fingers. The moment allowed him to regain his composure, and he immediately returned the glasses to his eyes. "I found something that I think you should see. I have to know if… I'll tell you when we get there."

"Okay." She finally gave in.

"It's not far." Ikhan opened the door and waited for her to join him outside her apartment before closing it behind them. He quickly inserted the key into the lock and twisted the deadbolt into place.

"Maybe you should give that back."

"Oh… yeah." He placed it in her palm and shoved his hands in his pockets as they quietly walked outside. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Her gaze fell to the concrete sidewalk, and she shivered as they neared the convenience store next to her building. The green striped sign hung over silver doors, and two men leaned against the entrance. Yuna closed her eyes and moved to the other side of Ikhan. This wasn't real. Ajussi was not standing there.

"Has Shinwoo…" Ikhan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Have you noticed anything… Has he said… never mind."

"Did Shinwoo put you up to this?" Yuna froze in place and anxiously clasped her hands together. "He promised he wouldn't say anything."

"What?"

"I just… forget I mentioned it." Yuna shook her head. "Where are we going?"

"We're here." Ikhan pulled the hood to his skeleton jacket suspiciously low over his eyes and pushed against a portion of the chain link fence until he found the gap cut into the metal. He slipped inside and held the path open for her.

"Here?" Yuna tilted her head down so that her hair covered her face and apprehensively followed him. Loose nails were scattered across the ground, and the windows and doors were boarded up. "But this is a construction site."

"I'll tell you inside. I just… There's something I need to know." He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and, handing it to her, began to pry a piece of plywood away from one of the doorways. "I'll hold it open. You go first."

"I don't like this." Yuna shinned the light through the hole. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs. "I want to go back."

"We won't get caught." Ikhan struggled to pull the board back further. The wood cracked from the strain and began to splinter. "No one's been here in over a year. I checked."

"Why would-" The light struck a pile of steal beams. Footsteps clicked against the pavement, slowly drawing closer to where she- The flashlight fell to the ground, and her hands flew to her head. This wasn't real. It wasn't. "I-I want to go home. I… Why did you bring me here?"

"Shut up." M-21 stooped down beside her, his eyes locking with hers. "You're so loud I want to kill you right now."

"Yuna!" Ikhan screamed, and the plywood broke free from his grasp. It slammed against the wall, barely missing her. His eyes glassed over, and he stood entranced, staring at the wall as if seeing beyond it.

"Ikhan?" He didn't stir at the sound of his name, and she carefully tapped his shoulder. His hands suddenly twisted in the air, gripping an invisible weapon, and he swung it at her like a baseball bat. Yuna leapt back, crashing into the wall. "Ikhan!"

"I'm…" He gasped sharply, breaking free of the images, and looked over at her before glancing down to his hands. His fingers trembled as he realized what he had just done, and he backed away from the entrance. "I'm sorry I… did you… do you _remember_-"

"Did Shinwoo tell you?! He promised-"

"Do you remember being here? You were kidnapped, and we came to save you. Shinwoo fought that murderer, and- And do you remember?!" His eyes flashed up to her, demanding an answer. "Because I _remember_! I have to know if you remember because I can't be the only one!"

"It's real?" She whispered under her breath, and her voice quavered once she forced sound into it. "This is real?"

"We're not crazy. If we both remember it, then I can't be crazy." Ikhan said, but the words brought him no comfort.

"This is real?"

"It has to be."

"Then Ajussi…" Yuna wrapped her arms around her stomach, unable to stop herself from shaking. "He really…"

"I remember him, too."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

* * *

**Awaken (Part 14: M-21)**

"You didn't talk to them, did you?" Takeo's voice teetered somewhere between accusation and disappointment, and it was evident from his expression that he wouldn't back down this time.

"Sure, I talked to the kids last night." M-21 shrugged, causally brushing off the question. "I tried to, but it wasn't going well. So I'll try again later."

"Try again later?" Takeo crossed his arms, unimpressed by the answer. "Do you think you have that much time? I've been lying to Tao for you. It won't take him long to figure that out."

"I never asked you to do that."

"I know you didn't." Takeo paced the width of the hallway and back twice before dropping his hands to his sides with a sigh. "Maybe I shouldn't have hidden it. I should have told the boss at least."

"You can't tell him." M-21 said, immediately regretting the sharpness in his tone. He glanced down the hallway, but no one was around to have overheard. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to them again soon."

"How could I not worry about it?" The words were whispered softly. He shook his head as his defenses slipped, and the last of his resolve gave way. "It's not easy for me to be the only one who knows. Something happened to you. I can't tell if it was serious, and I know you don't want me to ask any questions. The children saw it. Now Yuna's not in school, and Shinwoo's acting like this?" Takeo gestured toward the principal's office but quickly shoved his hands in his pockets. He walked across the hallway and back one more time before settling next to M-21. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little stressed."

"Yeah." M-21 leaned back into the wall so that his shoulders supported a large portion of his weight, and he let his hair fall away from his face as he looked up at the ceiling. "You don't have to worry about me. I just overreacted to Frankenstein's call. Like you said, we're all a little stressed."

"I understand." Takeo stood with his hand behind his back, palms pressed against the wall, and he crossed his legs at the ankle so that he balanced on one foot. His head shifted downward, pulling his hair over his shoulder. "I really do understand. I would have done the same thing you are doing. I would have hidden it. But don't think for a second that just because I'm keeping quiet about it that I believe it." Takeo pushed off the wall and knocked against the office door. "I have seen you overreact, M-21. It doesn't look like a heart attack."

"You're back?" Tao poked his head out the door and glanced in between them before his eyes landed on M-21. "What's wrong with him?"

"Wouldn't know." Takeo moved to the side to see around him and peeked into the room. Shinwoo was facing away from them, but his head was turned slightly towards the door. "Just finished the rounds. Any changes here?"

"Not really. I tried to call his dad, but he's still on a business trip. There aren't any other emergency contacts on file."

"That's not a problem for you."

"No, but even if I found the information, I couldn't hand off a student to a stranger without written consent from a guardian. I can't reach the boss, either. He's not answering his phone."

"He's not?" M-21 looked up, finally leaving his place next to the wall to join them at the door. "Did something happen?"

"I haven't heard anything." Tao stepped out into the hallway and called over his shoulder as he headed toward the security room. "I'll try again."

"I'll go with you," Takeo offered, already falling in step behind him.

"What about Shinwoo?" M-21 stared into the office as he spoke. The boy flinched at the sound of his name and forced himself to face forward again.

"Why don't you watch him?" Takeo said unsympathetically and gave a heartless smirk as he followed after Tao. "I'm sure you'll find something to talk about."

He slowly turned around, shutting the door behind him, and let his gaze wander rather than face Shinwoo. Sunlight beamed through the open window, illuminating the vacant desk. Without Frankenstein, the office felt uncomfortable. M-21 pulled himself into the attention stance just as if the boss had been present, but it did nothing to ease the atmosphere. Then again, it was just as unnerving when he was here. M-21 finally turned his focus to the sitting area. "Umm… Hey."

Shinwoo sat rigidly with his hands clasped tightly enough to cut off the circulation to his fingers. He moved them briefly to slide his palms along the fabric of his pants and returned them again to their death grip. "Hey."

"So…"

Shinwoo anxiously glanced up and looked back down at his hands.

Right. A military stance would seem intimidating. M-21 circled around the sitting area and awkwardly sat on the couch across from him. "Tao's trying to call your dad…"

"He's not home."

"I know." A long silence passed, and M-21 cleared his throat. "So, you were trying to skip class… Is there a reason for that?"

His fingers uncoiled from each other and gripped the couch on either side of his legs. The cushions bunched beneath his hands, and when Shinwoo finally looked up, his eyes were hard and full of suspicion. "Where's Yuna?"

The question was too serious, too intense, and it set him on guard. "She's sick."

"What did you do to her?" Shinwoo stood and carefully rolled his weight onto the balls of his feet as if preparing to attack. "If you hurt her…"

"What are you trying to say?" The words hissed through his teeth. M-21 found himself rising to his feet, his temper spiking, and he balled his fists to keep it in check.

Shinwoo's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Just stay away from my friends."

M-21 clenched his teeth and shoved the door open. It slammed shut behind him hard enough to draw a few teachers from their classrooms, but he had already turned the corner before they had the chance to see him. He pressed the button to activate his headset, and impatiently waited for the low buzz to indicate that the others were listening. "One of you two go watch Shinwoo. I'm leaving."

"Did something happen?" Tao's voice rang through the earpiece, and the humorless sound to it felt unnatural.

"Nothing. I just need to talk to the boss." M-21 switched off the headset before Tao could reply and ripped it from his ear. Footsteps pounded behind him, echoing though the hallway, but he didn't slow his pace. He pushed through the last set of doors into the outside air.

"Hey, wait!" Takeo called after him, finally catching up, and grabbed him by the shoulder. "What happened?"

"Nothing." M-21 knocked the hand away. "I don't know what happened. I almost lost it with one of the kids."

"With the kids? What-" Takeo put his hand to the earpiece, and they both fell silent. He nodded as he listened and then looked up at M-21. "Shinwoo just escaped."

"I'll go find him." M-21 looped the wire to the headset behind his ear once again. "This is my fault. I left him alone."

"No… Just let him go. I shouldn't have forced you to talk to him." Takeo took a hesitant breath. "M-21... are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay." Takeo whispered softly, and he turned to reenter the building. His fingertips brushed the doorknob but didn't try to open it. "M-21... Don't… I trust you. Don't forget you're part of a team, okay?" He swung open the door and dashed inside, leaving M-21 alone.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

* * *

**Awaken (Part 15: Yuna)**

His fingers wrapped around her hand gently as if hesitant to lead her like this or maybe just afraid to move ahead himself. This was dangerous for both of them, and unlike her, he could see his surroundings. The weight of his grasp shifted downward sharply, and his hand moved up to her elbow. "Careful. There's a slope."

Yuna slid her toes along the ground, feeling the gradation of the curve. "It's steep."

"Maybe you should take the blindfold off?"

"No," She shook her head, and the ends of the blindfold lightly slapped against her cheeks. "I don't want to see_.._. I can't."

"Yeah, I know." Ikhan reluctantly gave in with a sigh. "Fine, just hold on tight."

Her hand followed the length of his arm until she found his shoulder, and she braced herself for the decent. "I'm ready."

"Alright." A click signaled that he had put the flashlight in his mouth, biting it between his teeth, and his other hand wrapped around her forearm. He mumbled something unintelligible that meant for her to move again.

"Okay." She blindly inched forward, testing every step. "This isn't so ba-" The ground disappeared, sweeping her feet out from under her and knocking her hand away from his shoulder. Her fingers twisted into his jacket, attempting to catch herself as she fell, but she only ripped it halfway down his arm.

"Yuna!" The flashlight clattered to the floor as he struggled to support her. Her weight pitched him off balance, toppling them both to the ground.

"I'm okay." She touched her blindfold. It was still in place. "You okay?"

"Yeah, me too." He shuffled to his feet and snatched the flashlight from floor before taking her hand again.

Yuna flinched back reflexively. "It's wet."

"Sorry." The sleeve of his jacket brushed over her fingers, wiping the moisture away, and then dried the handle of the flashlight and his own hand as well.

"How much farther?"

"I think we're almost there." He offered her his hand again, dry this time, and helped her to stand. "It's right through that-" His grasp suddenly stiffened, holding her much too tightly.

"Ikhan, that hurts!" Yuna pried her fingers free and yanked the edge of her blindfold up. "What are-"

Ikhan gripped the flashlight like a baseball bat. His breath thickened, fiercely rushing through clenched teeth, and his eyes deadened into a blank stare. He couldn't see her, or worse, he saw someone instead of her.

"Wake up!" She ducked down before he had the chance to swing and scrambled out of the way. "Ikhan!"

The flashlight smashed into the wall above her, shattering the glass into a thousand shards, and the room vanished into darkness.

"Ikhan!"

"Y-Yuna?" His voice trembled with horror and guilt. "Are you… I didn't… did I?"

"I'm okay. It's okay. You were just- It was an illusion."

"I-I 'm sorry I…" The words broke, and he swallowed to ease the tightness in his throat. When he spoke again, the sound was muffled as if he had covered his face. "It was so real."

"I know." Yuna crawled toward him, slowly feeling along the ground until she was certain he was near, and held out her blindfold in what she guessed to be the correct direction. "Here's your tie. I think you need the blindfold more than I do."

"You keep it. I-I'll manage. I'll suppress it somehow." Ikhan rubbed his sleeve under the rim of his glasses, leaving behind a smear of water and dust. "What about you? Did it stop the illusions?"

"Yeah, it worked."

"It did?" Ikhan pulled his phone from his pocket and touched the screen for light. He was farther away than she had expected. "If the illusions can be triggered by sight, then maybe we can find a way to control them. We just have to figure out what sets them off."

"How are you going to find that out?" She scooted closer and weaved the tie through her fingers instead of returning it to him. "We're both practically blind now. Maybe it's better this way. I… I don't think I can take remembering anything else."

"Yuna, I can't live like that. I can't just go on pretending everything's normal until the next illusion comes. I need to know the truth. I have to see this through, but you don't have to go any farther." Ikhan threw the broken flashlight into the darkness. "You can stay h-"

A crash thundered through the air, echoing all around them, and Yuna reached out for Ikhan, missing twice before she caught his sleeve. "What was that?"

"It wasn't-" A second crash erupted with the sound of splintering wood. "That's the door! Someone's breaking in!"

"You said we wouldn't get caught!"

"No one has been here since Ajussi arrived! I checked!" He pressed his phone into her hand and shoved her forward. "Run!"

Yuna raced down the hall, holding the phone up to dimly light her way, and skid to a stop when she didn't hear a second set of footsteps beside her. "Ikhan?"

"What are you doing? Run!"

"I can't go without you! What if Ajussi found us?"

"I'm…" He swallowed again, nervously this time, and looked back at her. "I'm staying behind."

"You can't!"

"I have to-" The plywood cracked, permitting a shaft of sunlight to break into the building, and a hand reached into the gap, pulling the wood back instead of trying to kick it in. Ikhan ran toward her, forcing her through the nearest doorway and slamming the door in her face. "Just get out of here! I'll hold him off!"

"You can't hold him off!" Yuna cried through the door and tried to push it open. It moved half an inch and smacked back into place. He must be leaning against it from the other side, and she struck the wood with her palm. "Ikhan! You can't fight him! I dodged you twice! You're no match for-"

"Yuna," He said with a strained calm, "if something happened to you, Shinwoo would… and you're my friend, too. I don't want to see you hurt."

"I'll… I'll call somebody. I promise." She tapped the door softly, laying her hand against it as a sign of farewell, and a quiet click told her that he had repeated the gesture on his side. "I'll send someone for you. I promise."

"Hurry."

"I will." Yuna took a deep breath before slowly turning around.

Faint lines of light dotted the room where the plywood from the boarded windows was not nailed tightly enough against the wall. That was her best chance. The barrier would be the weakest at the place with the most light. Yuna lined herself across from the plywood, carefully keeping her eyes on the light. She sprinted toward it at top speed, throwing her whole weight behind the punch and using the full force of motion to increase the impact.

Pain jolted down her arm like a burst of electricity the moment her knuckles contacted the wood. Yuna gasped and bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming as she collapsed to her knees. Her arm curled into her stomach, desperately attempting to quell the pain, and she rolled forward until her forehead touched the concrete floor.

There wasn't time for this. She couldn't helplessly lie here while Ikhan was putting so much on the line to protect her. He needed her to escape and call for help. He was depending on it. Yuna struggled to lift herself from the ground and examined the damage she had dealt to the plywood. It hadn't given way at all. The injury was for nothing.

She hastily wrapped Ikhan's tie around her wrist, starting at her knuckles and working toward her elbow. It was already swelling and darkening into deep shades of purple and blue. Yuna fumbled for the phone and dialed Principal Lee's number. He was always the first one to call in situations like this. He was- She ended the call before anyone answered. Principal Lee was worried about Rai right now. He didn't need to know about this, and if it really was Ajussi breaking in, could she trust any of them?

The door creaked open, and two steps of footsteps entered the room. Ajussi slowly walked closer, flanked by a man mutilated by scars, and he crouched down next to her with a expression that was so hateful she couldn't even breathe.

No, that wasn't right. That wasn't happening right now. Yuna crawled behind a pile of steal support beams and tried to catch a glimpse of the intruders despite the darkness. Both were far too small for the scarred man. Was Ajussi with the murderer, then? She rolled back into hiding, pressing her body against the cold beams and hoping she blended in.

Her hands molded around Ikhan's phone. It was too late to escape now, but she could still call for help. No, not help. If it was Ajussi, there was no one she could trust to come to the rescue, but even if she couldn't call for help, she could still warn Shinwoo. Her fingers instantly dialed his number, and the phone rang, disrupting the silence. She smothered the speaker with her hand and winced as the pain spiked. Why hadn't she sent a text to him? This was too loud. It sounded as if it was coming from the room.

"Ikhan, why are you calling me?"

"I'm not."

"Shinwoo?" Yuna leapt up, forgetting her secrecy, and ran in the direction of his voice. "What are you- How did you get here?"

"Yuna! You're safe!" Shinwoo laughed, breaking the tension, but the sound only left a hollow feeling in its stead as his voice hardened. He had already noticed her hand. "Did he hurt you?"

Yuna hid the bandage behind her back. "It was my own fault."

"What happened?"

"I thought you were Ajussi, and I hit the wall while trying to escape. It was stupid. He was never even here."

"He wasn't?" Shinwoo slipped his phone back into his pocket and carefully looked around. "This place is creepy. Let's go outside."

"Yeah, let's do that." Ikhan agreed, retracing his steps back to the entrance and climbing over the broken pieces of plywood that Shinwoo had left behind. "We should get out of here before the police show up. Shinwoo wasn't exactly subtle."

"Yeah, well, I didn't bring a crowbar with me." Shinwoo stepped outside and helped Yuna over the rubble. "It wasn't like I was expecting to break in again, but after Yuna didn't show up for school, I thought Ajussi might have taken her here. I was really worried."

"What do you mean 'again?'" Ikhan narrowed his eyes behind his glasses and glared at his friend. "You knew about this place?"

"Yeah, Yuna told me about it so I checked it out awhile ago."

"Shinwoo… I didn't know where this was until Ikhan showed me…"

"I guess I got lucky." Shinwoo shrugged, trying to blow it off. "When did you tell Ikhan about…"

Yuna shook her head, never taking her eyes from him. "I didn't. He already knew."

"Oh." Shinwoo frowned, glancing between the two of them, and tried to forge a joyless smile. "Let's go before the police come. Breaking in is illegal if we get caught."

"It's illegal anyway." Ikhan darted in front of him, pathetically blocking his path. "What's going on? Did you know about this place or not?"

"I'll tell you later." Shinwoo looked over at Yuna from the corner of his eye and back to Ikhan. "In private."

"You did know!" Ikhan accused. "How much do you remember?"

"You knew?" Yuna's voice sounded weak, but she didn't have the strength to evict the vulnerability from it. She stared at the ground as her eyes filled with tears. "You were keeping this from me? You knew what I was going through, and you chose to hide it?"

"I…" Shinwoo took a step forward, but Yuna's gaze shot up with such a betrayed expression that it stopped him in his tracks. "I didn't want you to know it was-"

"I thought I was going crazy, Shinwoo! I thought I was alone, and you knew all this time?!"

"I didn't mean-"

"How could you?!" Yuna turned on her heels and bolted for the sidewalk. Her arm throbbed with each step as her feet beat against the ground, but she couldn't bear being near him any longer.

"Wait!" Shinwoo chased after her, leaping over the fence, and landed on the pavement beside her. His hand caught her wrist, and he spun her around to face him. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you. I just… after I realized… I swore that I'd protect you, Yuna. I meant that."

"So you lied to me?" She tried to yank her wrist free, but he refused to let go. "How could you, Shinwoo? I trusted you."

"I thought it would be easier this way! If you believed you imagined it, you could go back to normal like it was nothing more than a bad dream, but once you know it's real, you can't go back from that! I wasn't trying to lie to you. I just wanted to protect you."

"But this is real, Shinwoo." Yuna softened her voice, no longer struggling against his grasp. "This a real situation with real consequences. I can't just play make believe. What would you have done if Ajussi had actually been here?"

"I would have protected you."

"Shinwoo… I don't think you're strong enough this time."

His hold on her wrist loosened, and his hand gradually fell to his side.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

* * *

**Awaken (Part 16: M-21)**

The door shot open with enough force to damage the wall had the doorstopper not prevented the assault, and M-21 slammed it shut again just as hastily as he had entered. Regis flinched, tightening his fingers around the white mug in his hands and loosening them again just in time to spare the cup from cracking. He shot a glare toward the foyer, more annoyed to have been startled than anything else. "You're loud!"

"I'm in a hurry," M-21 said flatly, darting past the kitchen and down the hallway without so much as a look in his direction, "and you're the one that's yelling loud enough to wake the dead."

"I was…" Regis' voice trailed off, filling the silence with the vulnerability of what was still left unspoken.

M-21 halted mid step, listening a moment before slowly retracing his steps and stopping at the edge of the kitchen.

Regis looked haggard, exhausted beyond what he should have been able to endure, but still somehow stood as if by sheer will, by the stubborn resolve of his clan. Water sloshed over the brim of the cup and down his fingers, running the full length of his forearm before it finally dripped from his elbow and splattered onto the floor. His eyes followed the motion, shifting back and forth as the drink spilled, but hollowness blinded them with a vacant expression as if even with his eyes open, he saw nothing. His lips quivered, parting to speak, but the sound was no more than a breath. "…to wake the dead?"

"It's just a phrase." M-21 said, dismissing the line, but his voice softened just the same. He gently eased the cup from Regis' hands before the boy unconsciously dumped the whole thing out. "I didn't mean _him_."

"I wasn't thinking _that_!" Regis snapped out of the daze and brought his arm in close to his side, wiping it off on the fabric of his shirt. "What are you doing here? School's not out yet."

"One of the kids caused a disturbance, and Tao couldn't get a hold of the boss." M-21 dried the side of the cup with a washcloth and refilled it from the faucet. "Where's Frankenstein? He's not answering his phone."

"He's in the lab." Regis mopped the water from the floor with the same washcloth M-21 had used and, having no other place to put it, folded it neatly between his hands. "We're supposed to be taking a break, but he's working through it. He'll probably work straight through Seira's session, too. I'm sure he knows his limits, but…"

"But he'd push himself past them if it helped his master. Yeah, I know." M-21 pensively rolled the cup between his hands until the handle bumped his fingers. "He's working this hard, and I have to bother him over something like this? Shinwoo picked a bad time to start acting up."

"Was Shinwoo the student that caused a commotion?"

"Yeah, he cut class. He's been… on edge lately." M-21 set the cup on the counter and pushed it an arm's length away. "Here. Try not to spill it this time."

"I am not going to spill it twice!" Regis snatched the cup from the counter with overemphasized elegance that only made the gesture looked forced. "If you will excuse me, I should hurry. Frankenstein asked for this awhile ago, and he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Frankenstein actually asked you to take an open drink into his lab? Yeah right. He was just trying to get rid of a brat like you." M-21 opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water from the bag of snacks that the kids had left behind. "I'll get it. He doesn't want to see you, anyway."

M-21 left Regis dumbfounded, desperately trying to distinguish the truth from the taunts, and he hit the button to the elevator before the boy was even aware of his departure. Regis finally recovered enough to chase after him with some sharp retort hanging from his lips, but the doors shut again, cutting off both Regis' pursuit and his reply.

Placing his hand over his heart, M-21 monitored the steady rhythm as it drummed into his palm. It felt calm, natural, but the unresponsiveness left him apprehensive. He held out his fingers and watched as his nails extended into think dark blades, no more. Withdrawing them again, he rubbed his thumb over his skin where there should have grown a thick coating of fur. He couldn't deny anymore that something was wrong.

The elevator slowed to a halt, descending a little too far and rising again as it settled into place. A bell chimed, declaring him to arrived at the correct floor, and the doors opened to darkness. M-21 stared at the line of light from the elevator striped the floor with a single band, undisturbed except for the hole carved into it by the elongated shape of this shadow. Had he selected the wrong floor? He stepped back, waiting for the elevator to close around him, and selected the correct button. The elevator's doors retracted immediately, concealing themselves within the wall as they revealed the same scene once again.

"Boss?" His voice unintentionally came as a whisper, and he hesitantly stepped out of the elevator. The light directly above him flicked on as if sensing his arrival, and he stood in place, searching the outer darkness with his eyes. "You in here?"

The elevator doors closed behind him. He instinctively recoiled, pressing his back into them and grasping for the button to reopen his escape path. "What am I doing?" He tore his hand away from the wall and marched boldly into the room, activating the lights as he tripped the motion sensors. "Hey, Frankenstein?"

No answer came, but now that the lab was basked in light, he could see that it was empty. If Frankenstein was down here, he was likely locked within Rai's temporary quarters. He gently touched his fingers to the door, attempting to feel beyond it, and tried to concentrate on what may be happening on the other side. A low wave of power trembled inside, off balance and restless as if trying to escape from these confines. It seemed so distant, faded. Nothing like the power that man had previously shown. M-21 curled his fingers under so that his knuckles rested against the door. Rai couldn't waste his strength by awakening anyone else. Why would he have said that? What was he thinking? _Why would you-_

The door moved, suddenly pulling back to reveal Frankenstein. "What are you doing?"

"I was… about to knock." M-21 quickly lowered his hand and stuffed it into his pocket like a guilty child covering his crime. "Is it really okay for you to be alone in there after what happened?"

Frankenstein stepped pass him without answering the question. Whether it was okay or not made little difference in the matter. "What are you doing here, M-21? School is still in session. I'm sure you didn't come simply to ask me that."

"There was just a problem with a student. Tao called you, but when you didn't answer, I thought…" M-21 gazed through the door that still stood ajar. Rai slept peacefully as if completely unaware of what his slumber meant to the rest of them. "How is _he_?"

"How is he…" Frankenstein removed the glasses from the bridge of his nose and folded them before neatly tucking them into his breast pocket. Even after he accomplished this small task, he didn't reply right away. His hand reached for the medical chart, flipping through the first two pages before pressing them down again and smoothing them with his palm. "He is not well."

"How bad is it?" The question sounded like breath.

"His energy level was critically low. I had to implement… _unorthodox _procedures, but he has stabilized somewhat." The chart now lay flat on the countertop with his hands guarding it on either side, and he stared down at it as if it would reveal some shred of information that he had missed. "That is better than I had hoped."

"He'll improve more after the shrine is finished, won't he?" M-21 softly closed the door, cutting off his view of Rai.

"Yes, some." Frankenstein slid a pen from his pocket and began to jot down new information. "He may even wake before that. He's trying to awak-"

"But if he awakens someone now-"

"I see you heard it, too." Frankenstein frowned but carried on with his notes as if this had come as no surprise. "I was suspicious when you asked me about nobles communicating in their sleep. If you had been forthright, I would have told you by now… among other things."

M-21 traced his nails with his fingertips. "I didn't want to bother you."

"I suppose I have been preoccupied." He set his pen down and looked up at M-21, offering him his full attention. "It seems that you have misunderstood something. My master is not attempting to awaken another person. He is subconsciously trying to awaken himself from his slumber."

"Then it didn't work?"

"He is not yet strong enough to sustain consciousness. If he wakes prematurely, this situation will only reoccur." The answer sounded controlled. "As for now, it is best that he simply rests."

"You get some rest, too. Regis told me how hard you were working, and…" M-21 glanced down at the water bottle in his hand and up to Frankenstein again. "And why does he look so much more tired than you?"

Frankenstein narrowed his eyes, disregarding the question. "You are making it a habit to bring food into my lab." He picked up the chart and tapped it twice against the countertop, tucking all of the papers into a perfect row before clipping them down again, and returned to the original conversation. "What difficulty arose that three enhanced humans required my help to deal with a child?"

"Shinwoo was…" M-21 chose his words carefully, "upset. He tried to run out of class. I can handle it. It was just that, when you didn't answer your phone…Why didn't you answer?"

"I turned it off. I didn't want the distraction." Frankenstein took his phone from his pocket and powered it on again. "Tao called more than once. You still haven't answered why you needed me for this situation."

"It's nothing. I'll handle it."

"And have you handled it?"

"I'll take care of that right now." M-21 placed the bottle on the counter and fled before Frankenstein could ask him anything further. He grabbed his own phone and called to update Tao. "Hey, I just talked to the boss. Everything's fine. Where is Shinwoo right now?"

"First, M-21," Tao sounded too serious, and his fingers stopped clicking over the keyboard as he spoke, "I need you to explain something to me. What happened between you and Shinwoo?"

M-21 covered the phone with his hand and looked around. Regis was no longer in the kitchen. No one else was in sight. He slipped outside and uncovered the speaker although he still spoke in hushed tones. "How much did Takeo tell you?"

"So Takeo knows." His tone hummed with delight. "That was easier than I had thought."

The line went dead.

M-21 immediately hit redial, but on second thought, called Takeo instead.

"Hello?"

"Don't tell him anything."

"What?" Takeo asked, his voice overpowered by a gust of wind. He must be on the roof.

"Tao, he knows something."

"He probably found the footage." Takeo sighed. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

* * *

A/N: Not quite happy with this chapter, but I have been holding onto it for far too long.


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